Changing Ways
by I.Must.Break.You
Summary: This story takes place directly after Silver Conference, a lot of changes from the anime. Brock wants to go home and Misty is forced home by her sisters. Ash decides to accompany his red-headed friend instead, and an interesting turn of events unfolds. AAML eventually. (Updates will be much slower. Sorry 'bout that...)
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic so bear out with me. The story begins right after the Silver Conference in Viridian City, but there are some changes compared to the anime.**

"**Someone's words"**

'_**Someone's thoughts'**_

**Changing Ways: Chapter 1: For always**

Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu of course, arrived on a hill that looked down on Viridian City from Viridian Forest's side, the Silver Conference all but forgotten for now. They were tired, worn out and hungry after the long journey from Mt .Silver.

"Well Ash, you sure did well in the Silver Conference, even going so far as beating Gary along the way! I've gotta say you've matured a lot since the last time you saw this place, eh?" Brock mockingly nudged Ash.

"Yeah Ash, you've really come a long way from being that kid using his Pikachu against an Onix against Brock in your first Gym battle. Talk about inexperienced." Misty said with a smirk on her face.

"You just won't let that go, will you?" Ash irritatedly said while glaring at Misty. "That was a long time ago! Things have changed you know." He huffed as he crossed his arms in annoyance.

"Now you two, there's no need to fight about it..." Brock intervened.

"Fine…" both Ash and Misty huffed.

"Hey look you guys; the Pokemon Center isn't that far from here." Ash remarked as he pointed down to the Pokemon Center.

Upon hearing the words 'Pokemon Center'; Brock's attention immediately turned to it as he dumbly stared out in front of him.

"Hey Brock, are you okay?" Ash asked as he nudged Brock in the stomach, causing Brock to go into a dazed frenzy muttering the word 'Joy' a couple of times.

Ash and Misty looked at each other and nodded at each other. Each of them grabbed one of Brock's arms and started making their way down the hill towards the Pokemon Center, Brock in tow. The only reaction they received were a few 'Joys' escaping Brock's mouth.

"Pika,"

Ash stopped and looked over his soldier at Pikachu, his best friend."Yeah buddy? What's up?"

Misty looked over Ash's shoulder at Pikachu and tilted her head when she saw Pikachu shaking his head in annoyance with Brock. "Uh…I guess Pikachu's had enough of Brock's 'love' as well…" she muttered as she sweat dropped.

"Well, who can blame him," Ash started as he turned to his yellow buddy. "It literally happens every day!"

The three of them shared a laugh as they dragged a love struck Brock towards the Pokemon Center…

The gang walked through the slide doors at the Pokémon Center and was greeted with an empty lobby. Ash and Misty dragged Brock to a nearby couch and laid him down and both of them fell down on the other couch.

"Phew, I'm tired." Misty exclaimed as she relaxed. "Dragging Brock all the way here isn't as fun as I thought it would be…it sure wasn't made for a lady such as me." She said as she held her head high to emphasize her point.

"Misty, I repeat, only one of us can hallucinate at a time." Ash said as he snickered at the red-headed girl next to him, earning himself a glare from Misty followed by a whack against the head.

"Please Ash, you're the one hallucinating, that's for sure…" Misty informed Ash as a vein pulsated on her forehead.

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed from Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah Pikachu, what's up buddy?" Ash asked as he and Misty turned to Pikachu.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu proudly exclaimed as he pointed towards the counter, where Nurse Joy now stood.

"Hey, there's Nurse Joy!" Ash cried as he looked over to what Pikachu was pointing at.

At hearing her name, Brock regained his composure and in a flash, he was at Nurse Joy's side with her hand in his."Oh my dear Joy, fate has brought us together once more, giving me a chance to reveal my deepest, dearest love to you." He dramatically exclaimed to the Nurse.

"Oh...my…" was all the poor Nurse Joy could mutter out.

"Alright," Misty started as she started getting up. "It's time to get to work." She continued as she started making her way over to the scene. However; as she was walking she felt a hand grab her around her palm. "What the…Ash?" she exclaimed as she stared wide-eyed at the person who grabbed her hand, who was indeed Ash.

Ash just smiled at her and bent down onto his knee, still maintaining a firm grasp on Misty's palm. "Hey Pikachu, do me a favor buddy. Keep an eye on Brock for me and if he by any chance invades Nurse Joy too much for your liking, zap 'em okay? Me and Misty are just gonna take a quick walk, we won't be long." He ordered the yellow mouse.

"Pika – Pikachu!" Pikachu saluted Ash, indicating that he understands his orders.

"Ash, What do you think you're doing?" Misty scowled as she frowned at Ash, who was getting back up onto his feet. "You can't leave PIKACHU in charge of Brock! Are you insane!?And furthermore what's this 'walk' you are talki-"

Misty couldn't finish her sentence however, as Ash placed his finger over her lips, causing her to shut up as her cheeks started turning a light pink color.

"Misty, you talk too much…" Ash said. "Now," he said as he slowly pulled his finger away from Misty's lips. "Just come with me, please? It's really important to me, Misty."

"Ash…" Misty trailed off as she frowned at the boy. Ready to reject his offer, she saw him begging her with his eyes. Giving in, Misty sighed. "Alright Ash, we can go for a walk…"

"Yes," Ash silently started cheering.

"But," Misty intervened. "No funny stuff!" she yelled at the boy.

Ash cringed at the yelling, mainly because he was standing right next to Misty when she yelled. "Y-Yeah sure whatever…" he mumbled as he rubbed his ears and started making his way towards the door.

Misty quietly followed Ash as they exited the Pokemon Center and started making their way down the road that lead out of town.

"CHUUUU"

Ash and Misty could the crackling of electricity coming from the Pokémon Center from afar as they looked at each other wide-eyed, and then burst out laughing while they continued walking down the road.

"Oh boy, I so don't want to be Brock right now." Ash said in between laughs.

"Yeah," Misty giggled. "I think he must be CRACKING up!" she said as both of them laughed again as they continued down the road.

"So Ash," Misty started after they calmed down from their laughing hysteria. "What's the point of this 'walk'?" she asked Ash as she raised her brow at him.

"It's nothing really." Ash said matter-of-factly as he grinned sheepishly at Misty. "I actually just want to show you something, that's all…"

"What is it?" Misty curiously asked as she frowned at Ash.

"Just follow me. I'll show it to you." Ash said as he turned his face back towards the road, which was now starting to lead them out of Viridian City.

Misty nodded as she followed Ash.

Ash came to a halt on a hill outside Viridian City, which was on the opposite side from which they entered the city earlier. This side was closer to Pallet Town. He walked a bit further with Misty in tow, and finally stopped next to a huge boulder. It wasn't too high, but it was flat on the top, which made it look like a nice bench which overlooked Viridian City and its surroundings.

"Well, here we are." Ash declared as he motioned to the boulder behind him.

"A rock," Misty started. "You brought me all the way out here to see a rock?" she skeptically asked as she crossed her arms while lifting her eyebrow at Ash.

"Yep…" Ash proudly stated as he stood with his hands on his sides.

"Wow." Misty sarcastically said as she sighed. "Well, if that's all, I guess I'll be heading back to the Pokemon Center then…" she said as she turned back towards the road from which they came from.

"Hey wait, Misty!" Ash pleaded as he yanked on Misty's arm. "Don't you wanna get on top of it?" he asked as he made his way over to the boulder, pulling Misty with him.

"Ash, why would you want to climb a boulder?" Misty irritatedly asked as she tried to get out of Ash's grip.

To Misty's surprise; Ash let go of her arm and turned to face her. "Why not?" he asked her as he turned back to the boulder jumped up against it and started climbing to the top.

Misty exasperatedly sighed. "Never mind…" she mumbled as she made her way to the rock. Eying it slightly; she looked for some grabbing spots and tried pulling herself up. Sadly, she didn't get very far as she slid back down onto the ground.

"You need some help?" Misty heard a voice coming from above her.

She looked up to find Ash's waiting hand in front of her face. "No thanks," she started as she grabbed hold of the boulder again. "I'll manage." She declared as she pulled herself up again, but failed miserably again as she slid down onto the ground once more.

"Here," Ash said as he held his hand out to her once again. "Just take my hand, Misty. I'll help you up!" he confidently proclaimed.

"Fine…" Misty sighed in defeat as she grabbed hold of Ash's gloved hand.

"Alright, now just climb up by using your legs…"Ash said as he put his other hand over Misty's, taking a firm grip on the girl.

"Alright…" Misty said as she started making her way up the side of the boulder, putting her other hand over Ash's to get more stability.

Ash helped by pulling on Misty's hands and she eventually made it to the top.

"Phew…" Misty said as she sat down, exhausted from the climb.

Ash pluffed down next to Misty and stretched his arms over his head. "Wow, I'm glad that's over with…who would have thought you'd be so he-"he froze when he saw Misty viciously glaring at him.

"Say it…" Misty venomously said as her gaze narrowed at the boy, her glare intensifying.

"N-N-Never mind…" Ash stuttered out fearfully under Misty's menacing glare.

"Hmph…" Misty huffed as she turned her attention to their surroundings. The road which leads to the Indigo Plateau was visible on their left. Grasslands were stretched out over the horizon to their right and down the middle in front of them was a breathtaking view of Viridian City, accompanied by Viridian Forest in the background and a gorgeous sunset, illuminating everything in a pink-orange color.

"Wow," Misty said in awe. "The view is beautiful from up here…"

"Yeah…" Ash agreed as he plumped his arms up behind him and lay back slightly, admiring the view.

Misty slightly nodded, not really paying attention to Ash as she stared at the beautiful landscape in front of her.

The two of them stared at the landscape in silence for a quite a while, before Ash got slightly bored and turned his attention to Misty.

'_Well, I'm glad Misty likes it here…'_ Ash thought as he smiled at the redhead next to him.

Misty caught Ash staring at her and turned towards him. "Ash?" she asked him as she frowned. "Why are you staring at me?"

Ash snapped out of staring and smiled sheepishly at Misty. "Just thinking…"

"Wow," Misty started. "Can the great Ash Ketchum also use his brain?" she sarcastically added as she rolled her eyes at Ash.

"Haha…very funny…" Ash sarcastically replied as he glared at Misty, who was now giggling slightly.

They were interrupted though, as a loud grumbling radiated from Ash's stomach, scaring off a flock of Pidgey in a nearby tree.

"Hehe…guess I'm hungry…" Ash said as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and laughed nervously.

Misty sighed exasperatedly. "Guess some things don't change…but in your defense; we didn't stop for lunch on our way here and it's getting close to dinnertime." She concluded as she stood up on the boulder. "Come on; let's get back to the Pokemon Center. Besides, I'm getting kinda worried about leaving Pikachu in charge of Brock with Nurse Joy around." She added as she started getting into position to climb off of the boulder, but before she could get off, Ash grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her back.

"Ash," Misty said as he turned her head to Ash. "What are you doing? Let go of my hand, we've gotta get back to the Pokemon Center." She ordered as she tried to get free of the boy's grip on her hand.

"Just hold on a sec, Misty." Ash said as he frowned at Misty's show of impatience.

"Fiiiine…" Misty mumbled as she begrudgingly sat back down. "What is it Ash?"

"Well," Ash started nervously. "The reason we took a walk and came here." He said as he pointed around them. "Is because I wanted to tell you something…"

"Is that so?" Misty asked as she lifted her eyebrow at Ash. "Well spit it out then, Ash."

"Well, uh…it's just that I think that you were important to me, on my journey so far…" Ash stumbled out. He didn't really have a way with words, so he didn't quite know how to say what was on his mind.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked as she tilted her head to the side with a confused look in her eye.

"Well," Ash started again. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I was today. You guided me and always backed me up. I could not do anything without knowing how you feel about it or having your support. Sure, Brock was with me too for most of my journey, but you were there almost right from the start, although you denied it at first; I know you liked traveling with me." He joked with a sheepish grin.

Misty was listening intently to what Ash was saying and a small smile made its way onto her face.

"So, I want to thank you, Misty, for everything you've done for me and everything we've been through together." Ash said as he cautiously leaned over to Misty and slowly wrapped his arms around her.

Misty's cheeks were now a bright pink color as she looked wide-eyed at the ground behind Ash. She returned Ash's gesture by awkwardly wrapping her arms around the boy's neck.

Ash's cheeks were burning as he quickly let go of Misty after a moment of hugging and nervously looked at the scenery in front of them.

"C-Come on Ash," Misty said as she shrugged her embarrassment off and stood up again. "We've got to get back to the Pokémon Center."

Ash nodded and got up. He looked over at Misty and then jumped off of the boulder, landing on the ground.

"Ahem," Misty cleared her throat as she looked down at Ash. "Well, aren't you gonna lend a hand?" she asked as she blushed at the fact that she wasn't willing to jump off of the boulder.

Ash smiled at Misty and held his hands out to her.

Misty took hold of his hands slowly started climbing off, aided by Ash.

The two of them started making their way back down the road into Viridian City, on their way back to the Pokemon Center as the sun was setting over Mount Silver in the distance…


	2. Chapter 2

**Changing ways: Chapter 2: Some things never really change:**

Ash and Misty were still making their way back to Viridian City's Pokemon Center, reliving some memories from previous journeys.

"Hey Misty, do you remember that time we had to go to Lavender Town to catch a Ghost pokemon in Pokemon Tower to beat Sabrina?" Ash laughed as he relived the memory with Gengar, Gastly and Haunter in the spooky Pokemon Tower a long time ago.

"How could I forget about that?" Misty laughed as she thought back about it. "One of those Ghost pokemon picked me up into the air!" she said as she shuddered at the memory.

"Wow, uh, do you still remember that? I was hoping you would have forgotten about that by now…" Ash said more to himself.

"What do you mean by that?" Misty asked as she lifted her eyebrow at Ash, clearly curious as to what Ash is talking about.

"Uh, nothing, nothing at all…let's go!" Ash nervously declared as he quickly started walking, only for Misty to grab him by the back of his collar and yank him back.

"Ash Ketchum," Misty dangerously said. "What did you do?" she asked as she lowered her eyes at him, venomously glaring at the boy.

"Hehe, n-nothing Misty, what makes you think I did anything?" Ash nervously stuttered out while sweating bullets.

Misty however didn't believe that for one second and vigorously shook Ash by the collar.

"A-A-Alright alright, I'll tell you!" Ash desperately yelled as Misty shook him. "J-Just stop doing that!"

Misty immediately stopped her shaking of Ash, but still maintained a firm grip on the boy's collar. "Spit it out, Ash." She ordered.

"Come on Misty, I was just having a bit of fun with you…hehe you can take a joke right?" Ash nervously chuckled as he held his hands defensively in front of him.

"So it was you!" Misty yelled with anger evident in her voice. She threw the poor, defenseless Ash onto the ground and started pummeling him. "How…dare…you have fun and…games…in a time like that!?" she yelled at him in between blows.

"I'm so-so-sor-ry!" Ash yelled as he tried to cover the important parts of his body.

"We were worried sick about you!" Misty yelled at Ash. As soon as those words left her mouth; Misty knew that her cover had been blown. She let go of Ash and quickly backed off. "Uh…we should get back to the Pokemon Center…" she said as she quickly turned back into the direction of the Pokemon Center.

"Hold on." Ash said as he got up onto his feet, grabbed hold of Misty's arm and turned her back towards him. "So, you were worried about me, eh Misty?" he asked her with a smirk.

Misty tried to stutter out a few words while Ash was getting back to his feet. Ash stood in front of Misty and looked into her eyes.

"NO!" Misty yelled a bit louder than she wanted to, blowing her cover even more. "I mean, no I wasn't…it is expected of you to get yourself into trouble. So there wasn't any need to worry about you, because you always find a way to get yourself out of situations anyway." She sheepishly giggled.

"Sure Misty," Ash started as he walked past her. "Whatever helps you sleep at night…" he added as he quickly gave her shoulder a pat before he slowly made his way down the road towards the Pokemon Center.

"What did you say!?" Misty yelled as she jogged up to him, ready to beat him senseless. She didn't like it when Ash found a vulnerable spot in her headstrong façade to tease her about being too 'girly'.

"Now now Misty, there's no need to be rude about the truth." Ash said, further pressing Misty's buttons. Looking over his shoulder; he saw Misty's face now red. Not with embarrassment, but with rage. He cringed and decided to save himself by rather running the rest of the way.

"Ash Ketchum, you get back here!" Misty yelled as she gave chase after Ash.

"Fat chance, Misty, you'll never take me alive!" Ash yelled over his shoulder.

The two of them ran all the way to the Pokemon Center with Misty chasing Ash down the road.

Ash stopped a few yards before the Pokemon Center, completely out of breath. He stood with his hands on his knees and breathed heavily.

Misty stopped right next to him and fell to her knees in exhaustion. "Ash, you…are…so…lucky…that I'm…out of…air…" she informed the boy in between breaths.

Ash triumphantly smiled and made a peace sign with his fingers at Misty, signaling his victory. His victory ceremony was interrupted though, by a loud growl coming from his stomach.

"I guess the 'champ' is hungry." Misty said as she got back up onto her feet, knowingly winking at Ash and his obvious weakness.

Ash sheepishly laughed as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, let's just go get something to eat." He said as he turned back to the Pokemon Center.

Misty nodded and followed Ash. As they got closer to the Pokémon Center, they could hear constant electricity accompanied by CHUUU's and flashing light from inside the Pokemon Center.

"Wow cool fireworks…" Ash absent-mindedly mumbled as he stared at the light show in complete awe.

"Ash, I don't think that's a good thing!" Misty yelled with her eyes wide because of panic. "Come on, we've got to hurry!" she yelled at Ash.

"Uh...yeah right, let's go!" Ash yelled and the two of them ran towards the front door.

They entered through the glass doors which were located in the front of the Pokemon Center and what they saw, was mind boggling…

In front of them stood Brock; still on his knees in front of Nurse Joy, holding her hand in his. But Brock was now rather a crispy black color.

"PIII – KAAA – CHUUUUU," Pikachu cried out as he fired another ferocious Thunderbolt at Brock, but the Pokemon Breeder still stood his ground.

"Pikachu," Ash started as he walked closer to his yellow pokemon. "What's going on here?"

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped into Ash's arms. He started explaining something to his master and motioned to Brock, which left emotionless expressions on Ash and Misty's faces, seeing as they couldn't really understand the yellow mouse. He slapped his forehead with his palm and sighed in exasperation. Beginning from the start; he explained once again, but much slower.

"Wait," Ash said, having seemingly gotten a grasp of the situation. "So you are saying that you shocked Brock because you feel he was getting to close to Nurse Joy? But Brock didn't move? He just kept standing there?" he asked to make sure that he had all the facts.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu exclaimed as affirmatively nodded. He jumped out of Ash's arms and pluffed down on one of the couches. The poor yellow mouse was exhausted because of all the electric attacks he used on Brock.

"Well, I guess Pikachu's had enough…" Ash figured as he sweat-dropped at Pikachu's antics.

"Yeah, I guess Brock really braved the tempests this time…" Misty said as she sweat-dropped alongside Ash.

"My dear sweet Nurse Joy," Brock dramatically started, still on his knees in front of the poor Nurse Joy. "No matter how many thunderstorms come in my way, nothing will stop me from loving you! Nothing!"

"I...uh...really need to tend to these sick Pokémon." Nurse Joy stuttered out, obviously in shock. "Chansey, please help!"

"Chansey," Chansey exclaimed as she grabbed an empty Potion bottle and made her way over to her colleague. She gave Brock a glare and started hitting him over the head with the bottle, but it was to no avail as the Breeder stayed put, not letting go of Nurse Joy's hand.

"Oh brother," Misty sighed as she slapped her forehead with her palm. "I guess it's time to get to work…" she announced as she cracked her fingers and started making her way to where Brock, Nurse Joy and Chansey were quarreling.

Ash made his way over to where Pikachu was resting on one of the couches and sat down next to him. "Some things never change, eh buddy?" he asked his yellow pokemon as he scratched him behind the ears, earning a coo from the mouse.

Misty in the meantime, had made her way over to the action and yanked on Brock's ear. "Don't you ever learn? Nurse Joy has got better things to do than listen to your heart's desires!" she informed the poor Breeder as she dragged him along on the floor back towards Ash and Pikachu.

"Ouch, not the ear, not the ear…" Brock muttered as he was being dragged along.

Ash chuckled at Brock's usual antics while Pikachu sighed and shook his head in exasperation.

"Wow Misty, you sure showed him." Ash stated as Misty threw Brock onto the other couch. "Gosh, I wouldn't want to get you mad..."

"DON'T START WITH ME, ASH KETCHUM!" Misty furiously yelled at Ash.

"Whoa!I'm sorry!" Ash quickly apologized as he waved his hands defensively in front of him.

Ash's defensive antics proved futile however, as Misty grabbed him by his color and started shaking him violently.

Pikachu sighed and decided to cut in. Moving in between Ash and Misty, he unleashed a light Thunderbolt, causing the fight to break up and come to a halt. Ash and Misty were sizzled after the Thunderbolt and their rage was then redirected towards an in-trouble Pikachu.

"What's the big idea?!" Ash scowled as he hovered over Pikachu.

"Yeah, why the heck did you shock us?!" Misty added as she joined Ash.

"Pika, Pika Pikac-"Pikachu tried to reason as he hastily tried to give them an answer. He was cut off however, after being tackled to the ground and being laid on by the rampaging Ash and Misty.

"Pi…kaaa..." Pikachu complained from under the pile-up.

Pikachu was finally saved from his predicament and after being forced to apologize and never shocking his master and his friend ever again, unless ordered to; he, Ash, Misty and Brock headed to the Pokemon Center's cafeteria to order some dinner.

"Mmmm. Oh boy, I sure am hungry!" Ash exclaimed as he sat down with his tray packed full of food at the table along with Brock, Misty and Pikachu.

"You're always hungry Ash." Misty enlightened Ash as she exasperatedly sighed at the boy's enormous appetite.

"Well, excuse me for being a growing man." Ash informed Misty as he held his head high in the air to emphasize the point that he was a man.

"More like a little kid." Misty corrected Ash matter-of-factly as she took a bite of her hamburger.

"Quit it you two." Brock intervened. "Let's just enjoy a peaceful dinner. I mean, it's not every night that we can eat at a table in a Pokemon Center and have dinner."

Brock continued eating while Ash and Misty constantly looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes while they ate, trying to resist the temptation of making a remark about the other. Pikachu was enjoying the bottle of ketchup Ash got for him and dinner went by quiet and peaceful after that. After Misty and Brock finished their dinner (and waited another 15 minutes for Ash to clean his tray.); the gang decided to get a room for the night.

"Number 7, number 8 and number 9, here's our room." Brock declared as he pointed to the wooden door with a '9' on it.

Brock slid the key into the door and revealed the gang's room for the night. There was a small desk in the room with a vase on top of it. There were three beds altogether in the room, consisting of one single bed right next to the door and a bunker bed adjacent to the single bed. There was also a bathroom next to the bunker bed which contained a sink, mirror and a shower.

"Alright," Brock started as he closed the door behind the three of them. "I'm taking the single bed; it's up to you guys to decide who gets what bed on the bunker." He declared as he put his bag down on the single bed next to the door.

"No fair Brock!" Ash complained. "I wanted that bed!"

"Quit complaining, Ash." Misty said as she put her bag on the top bed. "It's just a bed, and it's only for one night."

"And what do you think you're doing?" Ash asked Misty with a scowl on his face.

"I'm getting MY bed ready for the night. Is that a problem, Ash?" Misty asked Ash venomously as she looked over shoulder at the boy.

"No…" Ash mumbled as he pouted in defeat. "I guess Pikachu and I get the bottom bed then…" he said in defeat as he put his bag onto the bed.

"Good." Misty said as she started rummaging through her bag. "Now, if you boys will excuse me, I'm going to go take a shower." She declared as she got her pj's, a towel and her toothbrush out of her bag and walked over to the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind her.

Ash, Brock and Pikachu looked at each other and shrugged.

"Well buddy," Ash started addressing Pikachu as the two of them sat on their bed. "I guess we're heading back home tomorrow. Man, I've sure missed all the people in Pallet Town and all of my other Pokemon and Mom's cooking!" he declared with a dramatic fist pump.

"Pi - Pikachu!"Pikachu exclaimed as he mimicked Ash's actions and did a paw pump of his own.

Brock looked on as Ash and Pikachu celebrated on their bed at the thought of home. He smiled as the two of them wrestled with each other, happily laughing. He smiled at the sight and decided something right then and there. He stood up from where he was sitting on his bed and opened the door.

"Hey Brock," Ash called his traveling companion when heard the door opening. "Where're you going?"

"I'm just gonna go make a call, Ash." Brock informed Ash. "I won't be long." He said as he disappeared through the doorway, closing the door behind him and headed towards the video phones

Ash and Pikachu looked at the now-empty bed of Brock and then at the closed door next to it. The two of them shrugged and lay down on the bed.

"Well Pikachu," Ash started as he rested his head on his hands and looked up at the bottom of the top bed. "I guess this marks the end of another journey for the two of us."

"Pika Pika," Pikachu agreed as he curled up next to Ash, ready to turn in for the night.

The two of them directed their gaze towards the window on the opposite side of the room, staring at the dark skies outside.

Meanwhile in the bathroom, Misty was standing under the hot, refreshing water coming out of the shower tap, relaxing and letting the water envelope her. _'Wow, what a day.'_ She thought as she tilted her head back to let the water run through her hair.'_First we had to walk the whole way to Viridian City from the dock in Vermillion City, and then Ash wanted to take a walk with me, and only me. He even left Pikachu back at the Pokémon Center, and took me to a beautiful spot outside the city and proclaimed that I had a big influence on his travels and accomplishments, and he even hugged me. Ash HUGGED me. I've got to admit, that isn't something I would ever have expected Ash to do…'_ she thought. She washed the soap of her body, a body that has now started to gain form, and wrapped the towel around her. Next, she headed for the sink and started brushing her teeth. As she was doing that; she saw herself in the mirror, and then sighed. She was growing up, that's for sure. She was becoming a beautiful teen, but she didn't see how anyone could ever fall in love with her. She was different from other girls. She wasn't 'girly', but she wanted a boy who could live with that, and if no one would, so be it. Misty washed out her mouth and put on her nighties, which wasn't very different from her casual clothes. It was a white strap top and a pink silk short. She unlocked the door and stepped out of the bathroom. She put away all her stuff and looked down, only to find Ash and Pikachu sleeping and snoring away. Misty just had a bright smile on her face because the scene and then turned around to the other bed, only to find it empty and Brock-less. _'Mmmm, I wonder where Brock went…' _Misty wondered as she frowned at the empty bed_. _'_Oh well, I guess he'll come back when he's done doing what he is. I just hope he's not pestering poor Nurse Joy again.' She_ looked at Ash again and grinned at the boy, who drooling slightly onto his pillow. She ruffled his hair a bit, which caused him to stir in his sleep and mumble out a few noises. She giggled softly and made her way to the bathroom, flicking the light switch. She made her way towards the door and also turned off the lights. She silently made her way back to the bunker bed and climbed up onto her bed. _'I guess Brock will manage on his own.'_ she thought as she gave a big yawn. _'I'm too tired to wait up for him…'_ she thought as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Brock slowly opened the door a while later. He peeked in and noticed that everything is dark. _'Hmmm, I guess they're asleep already.'_ He thought as he closed the door behind him and got into his bed. "I guess I'll tell them tomorrow…goodnight you three." he whispered as he went to sleep

And with that said, the gang was sound asleep and everything was peaceful and quiet for the night…


	3. Chapter 3

**Changing ways: Chapter 3: Change of plans:**

Misty put her pillow over her head because of the sun shining into her eyes from the window. "Stupid sun…" she mumbled as she turned on her stomach. She heard chuckling nearby and lifted her head to see what it was, only to find Ash standing in front of her, chuckling at her foolishness.

"Good morning, Misty." Ash greeted Misty with a friendly smile.

"Whoa! Ash! What are you doing staring at me like that while I'm sleeping!?" Misty frantically yelled as she sat up and covered herself with the blanket.

Ash, oblivious to the obvious, just stood there and continued grinning. "Well. It's getting kind of late and we wanted to have breakfast, but you were still sleeping." He explained. "So Brock and Pikachu went ahead to have breakfast while I waited for you to wake up so you could join us!" he proudly declared.

"So, you mean to tell me that you stared at me while I was sleeping?" Misty yelled, moments away from hysterically yelling.

"Well uh," Ash started as he nervously started scratching the back of his head. "You looked content while you were sleeping so I didn't want to bother you. And besides, you looked kind of cute when you snored…" he said while nervously chuckling.

"You think I looked cute?" Misty said as a blush started forming on her cheeks. _'That's the first anyone has ever called me cute. It felt kind of good…'_

Ash, still not sure of what's going on, frowned and looked at Misty with a confused look in his eyes. "Uh, Misty, are you feeling okay? You look a bit pink…"

"No, I-I'm fine…" Misty said as her blush intensified, but it all disappeared as she realized something. "I SNORE!?"

Ash was taken aback by Misty's sudden outburst and almost toppled down from the ladder on which he was standing. He caught himself in the nick of time and regained his balance. "Sjeesh Misty, what's with all the yelling?" he mumbled as he glared slightly at the girl. "And yes, you do snore. Every night." He added.

"Don't lie to me, Ash Ketchum!" Misty scowled as she took hold of Ash's collar.

Ash and Misty's conversation however, was suddenly interrupted by Ash's growling stomach.

Misty sighed as she let go of Ash. "Ash, you're always hungry, can't you grow up?"

Another loud rumbling could be heard echoing through room once more, but this time it didn't come from Ash's stomach.

Ash smirked knowingly at Misty, whose cheeks were now a bright pink color.

"Hehe," Misty nervously giggled. "I guess I'm hungry…" she said as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

"So," Ash started. "Who needs to grow up now, Misty?"

"Oh, shut up, Ash!" Misty scowled as she pushed Ash, causing the Pokemon Trainer to fall backwards off the ladder and onto the floor below.

"Ouch…" Ash mumbled as he sat up, grasping his aching head.

"So," Misty started as she peeked over the edge of the bed at Ash. "Who needs to keep quiet now-and-then?"

"Me…" Ash mumbled as he got back up onto his feet.

"That's right," Misty said as she got up onto her knees. "Now, let's go get some breakfast. Just wait outside for me, okay?"

"Okay." Ash figured as he made his way over to the door and closed it behind him. He sat down against the wall next to the door and eagerly waited for Misty to come out so he can finally get something to eat.

Inside the room, Misty got out of bed and stretched for a moment. Feeling content, she opened her backpack and got her usual attire out of it. She quickly changed and then proceeded into the bathroom to brush her teeth and tie her hair in her usual side-ponytail. Satisfied that everything was in place; Misty packed all of her belongings back into her bag and opened the door. "Okay Ash, I'm ready." She declared as she closed the door behind her.

Ash got up onto his feet and the two of them started making their way towards the cafeteria.

"Oh yeah Misty, I almost forgot. Brock said he had something important to tell us today." Ash informed Misty as they walked down the hallway.

"Is that so?" Misty asked as she looked over to Ash. "Hmmm, I wonder what it's about…"

"Yeah," Ash said as he frowned. "Me too…"

Ash and Misty reached the table where Brock was busy eating his breakfast and Pikachu licking the top of a bottle of Ketchup. They took their seats opposite each other, where their respective breakfasts were standing that Brock pre-ordered for them.

"Good morning Brock, thanks for ordering our breakfast, I'm starving!" Misty cheerfully said as she picked her fork up.

"Sure thing Misty," Brock said as he swallowed the scrambled eggs he was chewing on. "Did you sleep well?"

Ash and Pikachu were having a tug-of-war for the ketchup bottle in the meantime, the little mouse refusing to let go of it.

"Yeah, like a baby, thanks." Misty answered as she went about eating her breakfast slowly, paying no attention to the conflict beside her.

"I'm glad to hear that." Brock replied as he drank the last of his orange juice. The breeder had finished his breakfast since he and Pikachu started earlier than Ash and Misty.

"Bwock, d'ou said d'ou whad somefin fho fhell uf." Ash said with his mouth propped full of food.

"Uh," Brock started as he sweat-dropped at Ash's rude behavior. "Right, why don't you guys finish up your breakfast first, then I'll let you guys in on the news."

"Ohfkay," Ash responded as he continued stuffing food into his mouth.

Misty exasperatedly sighed as she ate a much slower pace.

After Ash and Misty finished their breakfast, the gang decided to head outside and get some fresh air.

"Come on Brock," Ash started as he started walking down the street. "I want to show this place where Misty and I were at yesterday."

"Alright Ash, lead the way." Brock said as he and Misty followed an excited Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, down the road which Ash and Misty walked the previous day.

The gang got to the exact same boulder where Ash and Misty were yesterday. Ash decided to climb on top of the boulder again, followed by Pikachu, of course. Misty, on the other hand, decided not to climb the boulder again and rather sat down on a patch of grass next to it. Brock was content with leaning against the boulder.

"So Brock," Ash interrupted the silence from ontop of the boulder. "What do you want to tell us?" he asked, still curious about the subject.

"Yeah Brock, what is it?" Misty chipped in, also curious about whatever Brock want to tell them.

Brock looked out over the horizon and sighed."You guys, "he started as he took another deep breath. "I've decided I'm gonna head home after our stay here in Viridian. I really miss my family and want to spend some time with them before my next journey. So I won't be heading back to Pallet Town with you guys..." he broke the news.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu just stared at Brock, pretty shocked unsure of what to make of this new development.

"So," Misty broke the silence. "You're going home, back to Pewter City?" she recapped.

Ash stared wide-eyed at Brock, who was looking at the view in front of them.

Brock slowly nodded."I'm sorry Misty, but it has been a while since I was home and I really miss my brothers and sisters a lot." He explained.

Ash smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Ash, are you feeling alright? This is hardly a laughing matter; Brock isn't going to travel with us anymore. You know that? Don't you?" Misty asked Ash as she frowned at him.

Ash looked at Misty and then stared over the horizon again. He nodded."I know Misty, but he just misses his family, like I miss my mom and you miss your sisters back home. So if that's the reason he wants to go home, then I have no problem with it." He concluded.

"Thanks Ash, that really means a lot to me." Brock said as he contently smiled at Ash.

Ash nodded and continued staring over the horizon while Misty looked at him and smiled, and then she also turned towards the horizon. Suddenly there was a loud noise that sounded like wings clapping and sounded like it's coming from the forest behind them.

"Hey, did you guys hear something?" Ash asked as he looked at his traveling companions.

Misty and Brock and listened carefully.

"No Ash, I don't hear anything." Misty said as she frowned at Ash.

"Same here, maybe you just thought you heard something?" Brock added.

"Yeah, I guess I just imagined it..." Ash said as he looked over at the forest. _'Mmmm…'_

"So guys," Brock interrupted Ash's thoughts. "What are our plans for the day? I was thinking of hitting the road around 6 o'clock." He figured as he stood up and climbed off the boulder, stretching his legs when he got to the bottom.

"Well, it's almost noon, so how about lunch?" Ash suggested as his mouth started drooling at the thought of food, but his fantasy was cut off by an incoming fist from Misty that hit him straight on the head.

"Ouch! What was that for?!" Ash asked as he vigorously rubbed his head and glared at Misty.

"We just had breakfast!" Misty yelled as she glared back at Ash. "You can't be hungry already!"

"Chill out you guys!" Brock intervened once more. "I'll tell you what; why don't we head back to the Pokémon Center, get some supplies and then have our lunch here?" he suggested.

"That's a great idea, Brock!" Ash excitedly exclaimed. "What do you think Misty?" he asked Misty, just to be sure that there were no objections.

"Yeah, that's not a bad idea." Misty said as she placed her fingers on her chin.

"Then it's settled, Pokémon Center here we come, again!" Ash announced with an excited fist pump.

"Pi – Pikachu," Pikachu exclaimed as he hopped back onto Ash's shoulder.

The gang then started making their way back to the Pokemon Center, with Brock trotting along faster than the rest of them.

"Hey Ash, do you notice how fast Brock is walking?" Misty asked Ash as she stole a glance at Brock, who walked a bit in front of them.

Ash took a peek at Brock in front of them and then turned back to Misty. "Well yeah, he does seem to be moving at a quick pace doesn't he? I wonder why he's in such a hurry…" he thought out loud. "I know! Maybe he's hungry too!" he excitedly exclaimed.

Misty slapped her forehead with her palm and growled at Ash's incompetence."Ugh Ash, is food all you can think about? Don't you get it? Brock is in such a hurry to get to the Pokémon Center, because of Nurse Joy!" she explained.

Ash's eyes grew side as realization struck him. "Oh no, I think you're right Misty! But we've got to stop him! I'm really not in the mood for a rehap of yesterday…"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Misty said as she started thinking of a plan. "Hey Ash, I've got an idea…"

Ash looked over to her."Yeah? What is it then?" he asked curiously.

"Well, you keep Brock busy outside, and then I'll go get our bags. That way Nurse Joy is safe from Brock and we can have our lunch in peace." Misty explained as a proud smile made its way onto her face.

Ash thought about it for a while and then smiled. "That's an awesome idea Misty!" he excitedly praised Misty. "But, how am I gonna keep Brock from coming near the Pokémon Center? I mean, he's on a mission to get there." He said as he pointed in front of them.

Misty frowned in thought. "Just use your imagination, Ash." She finally said as she quickened her pace to catch up to Brock.

"Hmmm, I wonder what I'm gonna do…" Ash wondered out loud as he still walked slower than Misty and Brock. "Wait, I've got it!"

Brock noticed Ash walking pretty slowly, so he turned around and walked backwards."Hey Ash, hurry up! We've got to get to Nurs…I mean the Pokémon Center!" he irritatedly yelled at the slow-walking boy.

"Oh uh, I'm coming!" Ash yelled as he went into a light jog to catch up to Misty and Brock.

The gang got closer and closer to the Pokemon Center, with Brock starting to get a dazed look on his face.

"Alright Ash, this is your chance to get Brock's attention!" Misty whispered at Ash.

"Right," Ash whispered back and then turned his attention towards a love-struck Brock. "Hey Brock, isn't that Daisy?" he yelled as he pointed into some bushed next to the road.

Brock immediately stopped and turned to where Ash was pointing."Daisy, where? Where is my love?" he ecstatically yelled as he dove into the bushes.

Ash turned to Misty and grinned while he showed her a peace sign with his fingers. "Come on Brock, I think I saw her heading this way!" he yelled as he grabbed the Pokemon Breeder by the arm and started dragging him towards a park that was next to the Pokemon Center.

"Unbelievable…" Misty mumbled as she watched on and sweat-dropped. She regained her composure and headed towards the Pokémon Center. "Hey Nurse Joy!" she waved as she ran past the counter on her way to the room.

"Wait," Nurse Joy yelled after Misty. "Are you by any chance Misty?" she added.

Misty stopped at hearing her name and backed up to Nurse Joy."Yeah that's me, "she answered as she stopped in front of the Nurse. "Why Nurse Joy, is something wrong?"

Nurse Joy shook her head. "No dear, there's nothing wrong, but you do have a phone call, from a girl named Daisy from Cerulean City. She said that I should tell you to call her ASAP."

"Oh, thanks, Nurse Joy" Misty said as she made her way over to the video phones. _'Hmmm I wonder what Daisy wants...'_ she thought as she sat down in front of one of the phones and dialed Cerulean Gym.

"Like, hello?" Violet, another of Misty's sisters' face appeared on the screen accompanied by her voice.

Misty sighed. She was hoping to talk to Daisy; she was the least irritating out of her three goofy sisters and they got along better too. "Hey Violet…" she half-heartedly greeted her sister.

"Misty, is that like, you?" Violet asked as she leaned closer to the screen. "Like, wow, you've sure grown a lot. How's your boyfriend? I heard he lost in the Silver Conference to some hotty called Harrison." She dreamily stated as images of Harrison flooded her mind.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Misty yelled as her cheeks started turning pink, causing Violet to snicker.

"Anyway Misty, I bet you're looking for Daisy, right?" Violet asked as she changed the subject.

Misty nodded with an agitated look on her face.

"Okay, I'll go get her." Violet said as her head disappeared out of view.

Violet's face was soon replaced with Daisy's on the screen.

"Like, hello, little sis." Daisy greeted Misty with a friendly smile. "Like, where have you been? Making out with Ash maybe?" she smirked.

"NO!" Misty angrily yelled at the screen. "WE ARE NOT A COUPLE!" she said as she clawed at the screen, making Daisy sweat-drop and giggle uncomfortably.

"Anyway Misty," Daisy started again after clearing her throat. "We need you to like, come back and look after the gym again." She said matter-of-factly.

Misty's eyes grew wide as she stared into the screen."What...what do you mean? Why should I come back? I'm on a journey with Ash here, I don't wanna go back home now…" she trailed off at the thought.

A smirk made its way onto Daisy's face."Oh, so you DO like Ash! I knew it all along." Daisy stated matter-of-factly.

Misty glared at her oldest sister. "I DO NOT!" she screamed as she glared at Daisy's face on the screen. "Now, tell me why I should come back to the Gym? Is it getting too rough for the three of you?"

"WHAT?" Violet and Lily yelled simultaneously as their faces appeared alongside Daisy's on the screen, both of them looking pretty mad.

"Like, for your information, the three of us won a trip around the world on a five star cruise liner," Violet started as she crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Yeah," Lily started. "So like, we're leaving tomorrow so you better be here! Or the Gym is gonna be closed for a while...Toodles!" she continued as the screen went black after she was done.

Misty stared at the screen for a few moments before slowly standing up. _'That means…I have to go home…'_ she thought as she slowly started making her way towards the front door, completely forgetting about the real reason she came into the Pokemon Center; their bags.

Meanwhile, outside in the park next to the Pokémon Center, Ash, Brock and Pikachu were still busy searching for 'Daisy'.

"My love! Where are you, my dear sweet Daisy? Fate has brought us together once more! But where are you?" Brock said, more dazed than ever, as he was searching under the benches for 'Daisy'.

Ash and Pikachu tried their best to encourage him to keep looking in order to keep him away from the Pokemon Center.

"You're getting close Brock!" Ash encouraged the love-struck Breeder as he followed him around. "I think you should try looking there over at the bushes, further away from the Pokémon Center..." he mumbled the last part more to himself, but Brock heard it, however…

"Pokémon Center," Brock asked as his head jerked up towards Ash. "My dear Nurse Joy awaits me there!" he yelled as he started making his way towards the Pokemon Center instead.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu exclaimed as he was giving Ash a mouthful about his stupidity.

Ash just slapped his forehead with his palm and groaned as he watched Brock heading towards the Pokémon Center. The two of them got a hold of Brock and pulled him to a bench nearby just as Misty came out of the Pokémon Center.

"Hey Misty, what took ya so long? And where are our bags?" Ash asked Misty after he noticed her and headed over towards her.

"I...I..." Misty stuttered out as she looked up from the ground to Ash, desperation evident in her eyes.

Brock noticed the distress in Misty's voice and turned around and walked towards them.

"Ash," Misty started. "I...I have to go back home to Cerulean City..." she said as she looked down at the ground again.

Ash stumbled backwards and stared at Misty with wide eyes. "Yo-You're leaving too?" he managed to stutter out.

Misty looked up at Ash with tears forming in her eyes and slowly nodded then looked down again. "I'm sorry Ash," she shakily started. "But, the Gy-"

"Shut up!" Ash interrupted Misty, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "I don't want to hear your excuses." He coldly stated.

"Ash, that's enough." Brock cut in, clearly more mature about the subject than Ash.

"You shut up too!" Ash yelled at Brock. "How could you?" he said as he turned his attention back to Misty. "Now you're leaving me too! Fine if you want to go; then go! Don't let me stand in your way, I couldn't care less!" he coldly exclaimed as he turned around and started running down the road.

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed as he darted down the road after Ash.

"Ash, wait!" Misty yelled as she started running after Ash and Pikachu, but she was stopped as Brock grabbed hold of her shoulder, preventing her from getting any further.

"Let him cool off, Misty." Brock said from behind Misty.

"But Brock," Misty started protesting, but her protest was quickly waved off by Brock.

"Look," Brock started. "He's just found out that his best friends and traveling partners are going to have to abandon him. He isn't used to being alone and I guess he's starting to realize it now. So, just give him some time." He wisely explained.

"I hope he doesn't do anything stupid, Brock." Misty sighed as she looked down the road as Ash disappeared in the distance.

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Brock said as he gave Misty's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Come on; let's go inside, we should probably start packing..."

Misty nodded and the two of them headed inside to get their things together for their respective treks home.

Ash, in the meantime, was now almost out of Viridian City, but he just kept running. He just had to get away. _'I can't believe your leaving Misty...I-I don't want you to leave!'_ Ash tripped over a rock and fell down.

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed as he hurried to Ash and poked him in the arm to make sure his master is okay.

"It's not fair, Pikachu. It's not fair!" Ash stated as he hit the ground with his fists while tears started dropping on the ground below him.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu sadly exclaimed as stared at Ash with his ears drooped low.

"I don't want her to leave Pikachu," Ash started as he finally sat up. "She's been with us from the beginning of our journey. It wouldn't feel right without her…" he continued as he kept his head low to hide his eyes under the brim of his hat.

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed as he looked at Ash with worried eyes.

"Come on buddy," Ash started as he got back onto his feet and dusted himself off.

"Pika," Pikachu obeyed as he followed Ash down the road, still going away from Viridian City.

Ash remained silent, his head hanging as the two of them approached the all-too-familiar boulder.

Ash climbed on top of the boulder with Pikachu joining him as they sat up there. He stared out over the horizon again and clenched his fists. "Misty, you can't leave. I don't wanna travel without you. I-I don't know why, but it just wouldn't feel right without you." He sighed as he put his head in his hands.

"Pikapi," Pikachu called as he tugged on Ash's sleeve, wanting to have Ash's attention.

Ash looked at Pikachu. "Pikachu," he smiled. "I'm sorry for running off like that, buddy. I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized.

"Pikachu, pika Pikachupi pika," Pikachu nodded in understandment.

"Thanks for understanding buddy, and that you will stand by my side no matter what choice I'll make. You're the best pokemon pal a guy could ask for!" Ash said as he scratched Pikachu behind the ears.

"Pi-Pikachu," Pikachu exclaimed with a peace sign as the two of them stared over the horizon.

Meanwhile, Misty stared out the window of their room. "Brock, we're gonna have to leave soon. What if Ash isn't back by then?" she worriedly asked the Pokemon Breeder as she kept staring out the window.

"He'll be here, Misty." Brock reassured Misty. "I know Ash; he won't let us leave without saying goodbye."

Misty sighed and started walking to the door. "Well I'm going to go look for him." She declared as she opened the door.

"No, you are not." Brock said as he turned to look at her. "First of all, you don't even know where he is. He could be anywhere. And we have to leave in about thirty minutes if we want to make any progress."

"I'm not leaving without saying goodbye to him." Misty declared as she walked out of the room and firmly closed the door behind her. As she got to the lobby however, she stopped. _'Brock was right,_' she thought. _'_I_ don't have any idea where Ash could be. It's not as if he really knows this area…'_ She thought as she furrowed her eyebrows. _'Wait a second,_' her eyes brightened up. _'_That's_ it!'_ she figured ran out the Pokémon Center and down the road, out of Viridian City. "Please be there, Ash!"

Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu were still sitting on the boulder, staring out in the horizon. His eyes were hidden under the brim of his hat.

"Ash," an all-too-familiar voice called out.

"Huh?"Ash said as he looked up to find, to find Misty running towards them. "Mi-Misty…?"

"Ash...what...are you...doing here?" Misty asked in between breaths as she leaned against the boulder, completely out of breath.

"I uh..."Ash mumbled as she stared at Misty, completely surprised at the redhead's presence. "Ar-Aren't you supposed to be heading for Cerulean City?" he asked harshly as he looked away from her.

"Ash, "Misty started, seemingly having recovered her breath. "I'm not going anywhere before I say goodbye." She stated as she back upright.

Ash smiled slightly at hearing what Misty said. He slowly nodded, motioned to Pikachu and the two of them then slid down the boulder. "You better go if you wanna get there by tomorrow morning..." Ash solemnly stated as he buried his hands in his pockets and looked down to hide his eyes under the brim of his hat again.

"Ash," Misty started as she grabbed Ash's arm softly, causing him to look up into her eyes. "It's not like I want to leave. I have to leave." She added. "You see, my sisters are going on a cruise around the world and the Gym can't be closed the whole time." She explained the real reason of the situation to him.

Ash stared at her for a few moments, then a smile made its way onto his and he then nodded in understanding. He couldn't be mad at her for something which was beyond her control.

Misty saw this and smiled at Ash. "Thank you for understanding, Ash, but we've got to head back to the Pokémon Center." She said. "I really have to leave by tonight if I wanna make it on time and our bags are still at the Pokémon Center."

"No, they're right here." Another familiar voice said from behind, the voice of Brock.

"Brock," both Ash and Misty simultaneously exclaimed as they turned to face the Pokemon Breeder.

"I figured you guys would be here, so I brought our bags with me so we can hit the road." Brock said as he held Misty and Ash's bags up for them to see. "It's getting pretty late, so I guess we should get moving you guys..." he said.

Ash and Misty nodded and got their bags from Brock. The gang then started walking down the road, heading further out of Viridian City, and finally stopped at a fork. The road divided into three smaller roads. The one road headed to Pewter City, the other one to Cerulean City and the last one to Pallet Town.

"Well you guys," Brock started as he turned to his friends. "I guess this is it..." he smiled half-heartedly.

Ash was looking down with his eyes hidden under the brim of his hat, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Well, "Brock interrupted. "Take care, you guys." He greeted and turned down the road which headed to Pewter City.

"So long, Brock, have a safe trip." Misty bid Brock farewell and then turned to Ash. "Goodbye, Ash, I guess I'll see you later then...take care, Pikachu." she said goodbye with a sincere and sad smile on her face.

Ash bit his lip and clenched his fists. "No, Misty," he started, which caused Brock to look over his shoulder at Ash's choice of words. "You won't be seeing me later." He coolly stated.

Misty felt her heart sink. "Wha-what do you mean Ash?" she hesitantly asked, fearing that their friendship is now over.

Ash smiled slightly. "You won't be seeing me later because...I'm coming with you to Cerulean City, Misty." He said as he looked Misty in the eyes.

Misty, Brock and Pikachu all had shocked looks on their faces, with Misty's mouth slightly open…


	4. Chapter 4

**Changing ways: Chapter 4: Worth keeping:**

Misty stared wide-eyed at Ash, her mouth slightly open. "Coming…with me?" she slowly asked as she blinked a few times, seemingly having snapped out of staring.

"Y-Yeah…" Ash mumbled as he looked at the girl in front of him. "But, only if it's okay with you Misty…" he said unsurely.

Misty looked at Ash with interest. "But…why?" she finally asked as she frowned at the boy.

"Well," Ash started as he nervously rubbed the back of his head while looking down at the ground. He didn't really want to talk about the real reason he didn't want Misty to leave, so he thought of something else. "I uh…don't think it's appropriate to let you walk all by yourself back to Cerulean City, yeah, that's it."

"Really…?" Misty skeptically asked as she lifted her eyebrow at Ash, not totally believing his motivation behind the decision. "I'm a big girl, Ash. You know I can take care of myself…"

"Y-Yeah, I know," Ash nervously started. "But, I'm still coming with you…it's a dangerous route to Cerulean City and it's almost night time, and yes, you are a girl, so it wouldn't be proper to let you walk all by yourself."

"Hmmm," Misty hummed as she put her hands on her hips and looked intently at Ash with her eyebrow lifted. "Well, okay then…" she finally concluded.

Ash inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as Misty backed away again.

"So," Brock interrupted the two. "I guess you guys are headed to Cerulean City then?" he inquired as he slowly made his way back to Ash and Misty.

"Oh sorry Brock," Ash started as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I kind of forgot about you still standing there…" he said as he sheepishly laughed.

Misty agitatedly sighed at Ash's dimwittedness. "Yeah Brock," she said as she turned her attention back towards Brock. "I guess we're going this way then…" she added as she turned and faced the road heading towards Cerulean City.

"Brock," Ash started as he approached Brock. "I just wanna say thanks, for everything you did for us. Man, am I gonna miss your cooking." he joked as he held his hand out to Brock.

"Yeah, I bet you will." Brock laughed as he took Ash's hand and shook it firmly. "Good luck on the rest of your journey, Ash, wherever it may be to." He said as placed his hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Then I guess this is goodbye for now, Brock." Ash said as he let go of Brock's hand.

"Yeah, take care, you guys!" Brock waved over his shoulder as he walked down the road heading to Pewter City.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu turned down the other road, heading to Cerulean City as the three friends split up.

"So Ash," Misty started as she looked at Ash. "You guys are coming with me back home then?" she asked as she looked in front of them again.

"Well uh," Ash started as he turned to face Misty. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking…" he said as he giggled nervously and scratched the back of his head.

Misty smirked at Ash and walked closer to him.

"Uh," Ash uncomfortably started. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he nervously asked as he kept a close eye on Misty.

"So," Misty playfully started as she nudged Ash in the ribs. "You thought you could just invite yourself with me? Stay in the Gym, MY Gym?" she asked with a playful smirk.

"I uh," Ash stuttered as he looked at the ground. "I didn't think you would mind. I-I mean, you were going to have to travel all the way back to Cerulean City alone, and it's going to take you longer, seeing as you don't have a bike." He explained. "So, I figured I could come along, seeing as that's partially my fault…" he smiled at the memory.

"Oh, I remember all too well, Ash Ketchum." Misty said as she glared at Ash.

Ash gulped and then scratched the back of his head. "Well anyway, I guess I could book in at the Pokemon Center…" he changed the subject.

"Oh Ash," Misty stated as she playfully punched Ash on his shoulder. "I was just kidding. Of course you can stay at the Gym, silly. You're my friend. You're more than welcome, unless, you WANT to stay at the Pokemon Center?" she asked.

"No way…" Ash replied a tad too hastily. "I mean, uh, I would rather be closer to my friends?" he replied and giggled nervously.

"Pikapi," Pikachu interrupted Ash and Misty's conversation from ontop of Ash's shoulder.

"Huh?" Ash mumbled as he turned to look at Pikachu on his shoulder. "Oh, hey Pikachu, what's up, buddy?" he asked his yellow pokemon as he scratched him behind the ears.

"Pika," Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped off of Ash's shoulder towards Misty.

'What the heck!" Misty shouted in surprise as she barely managed to catch Pikachu in her arms. "Pikachu, what're you doing?" she asked the yellow mouse with an agitated look on her face.

"Pika Pika, Pikachupi." Pikachu explained as he cuddled into Misty's arms and closed his eyes with a satisfied 'cha'.

"Uh, "Ash started as he looked at Pikachu and Misty. "I guess Pikachu is taking a nap…" he figured as he sweat-dropped.

"Well," Misty started as held Pikachu tight against her. "Pikachu sure has good taste. He knows quality when he sees it." She said as she held her head high to emphasize her point and stroked Pikachu's fur softly.

"Uh yeah, sure…" Ash said as he sweat-dropped further.

"Haha, very funny, Ash." Misty sarcastically said as she rubbed her cheek up against Pikachu's fur.

The three of them marched on towards Cerulean City, with the sun beginning to set over the mountains in the distance, as a large and dense forest started appearing in the horizon on their path.

"Well," Ash started as they stood in front of the entrance to the forest. "I guess we're heading through the forest then…" he uncertainly said.

"Ash Ketchum," Misty started as she glared at Ash. "You had better not get us lost!" she angrily warned.

"Uh, of course I won't!" Ash yelled in frustration at Misty. "I'm not that ten year old kid anymore, you know." He huffed as he crossed his arms in stubbornness.

And with that said; Ash and Misty, with Pikachu in her arms, walked into the forest. They walked for about an hour and a half, until Ash noticed…that they're lost…

"Uhm, which way is it again...?" Ash whispered to himself as he looked around him, trying to spot a path or something similar.

"What was that you said just now, Ash?" Misty asked as she crossed her arms and glared towards Ash, seeing as Pikachu was awake by now and walking beside Ash.

"Uh, nothing to worry about!" Ash said as he turned to face Misty. "Except, we're a bit lost…" he muttered, hoping that Misty wouldn't hear it.

Sadly, she heard it. "WHAT WAS THAT!?" she angrily asked as she stopped walking completely and turned to Ash, who by now has stiffened and started backing away from Misty.

"Uh, come on Misty, it'll be okay." He tried reassuring the fiery redhead. "I mean, this is not the first time I have gotten us los-"he explained before was cut off by Misty's fist viciously connecting with his head.

"How do you think we're gonna get out of this forest now!?" Misty angrily yelled as she retracted her fist, furiously glaring at Ash.

"Easy!" Ash yelled back. "I'll just use Noctowl to find the path!" he replied in a know-it-all tone as he took Noctowl's pokeball off his belt, but he was stopped by Misty before he could throw it.

"Ash, that's not going to work!" Misty scowled Ash. "I don't know if you've noticed, but it's already DARK! Which means Noctowl won't be able to see anything!" she informed him with an agitated look on her face.

"Oops, I kind of forgot about that…" Ash said as he sheepishly grinned while scratching the back of his head.

Misty however, wasn't laughing at all. "You idiot!" she yelled at Ash. "That means we're going to have to camp out here in this creepy forest tonight!"

"But Misty, that isn't so bad?" Ash said as he frowned at Misty. "We camp out all the time!" he innocently informed her.

"Not while we are lost in some spooky forest, probably crawling with Bug pokemon!" Misty yelled in fear as she looked around them for any signs of menacing Bug pokemon.

"Come on Misty, not this again…" Ash whined and exasperatedly sighed as he watched Misty in the prime of her phobia.

"Ash, I guess it's getting kind of late, so we might as well set up camp for the night, right here in this nice, clear opening." Misty said as she nervously giggled, waiting for a response.

Ash frowned at Misty for a moment, and then dimwittedly nodded. "Okay, sure!" he agreed. "Pikachu and I will go get some fire wood then." He announced as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder.

"Wait!" Misty yelled, causing Ash and Pikachu to look at her curiously. "Hehe, uhm, I think Pikachu should rather stay here and help me set up camp…" she nervously stated, hoping that Ash would buy her excuse.

Ash looked absent-mindedly at Misty, clearly thinking about the situation. "That's good thinking, Misty." Ash finally said. "That way, when I get back from collecting fire wood; everything will be ready for the night." He declared as he disappeared into the bushes, in search of some dead wood to burn.

Misty sighed in relief as Ash bought her excuse. Frankly, she was scared out of her wits by this forest, and the various Bug pokemon it was home to, and being alone would have freaked her out even more. So she managed to keep Pikachu with her for protection. "Well, come on, Pikachu," she said as she dropped her bag to the ground and started rummaging through it. "We might as well get everything ready for the night." She announced as she started unrolling her sleeping bag. "Why don't you gather some stones we can use to light the fire in when Ash gets back?"

"Pika Pika," Pikachu saluted Misty and scurried away, in search of some stones around their camp area.

Meanwhile, Ash was walking through the forest, making sure to pick up every stray branch or twig to use for fire.

"Man, I can't believe I got us lost again." Ash sighed as he picked up another twig. "I should really start thinking about getting a map…oh well…"

Ash's thoughts were broken by cracking noises which sounded like branches breaking, causing Ash to jerk his head up in surprise.

"What was that?" Ash asked as he frowned at the thick trees around him. "That noise sounded just like the one I heard in Viridian City…" he remarked. "Hmmm, it's probably some wild pokemon? Oh well, I guess I'd better get back to camp, anyway." He concluded as he positioned the wood in his arms and started heading back to their campsite.

When Ash got back to the campsite, almost everything was neatly arranged for the night. The ground was cleared up and leveled. Pikachu was busy making a circle with some stones he collected to build the fire in. Misty had placed her sleeping bag neatly on the ground next to a fallen log on which she was currently sitting on, which will probably serve as a seat for the night.

Ash made his way over to where Pikachu was just about finished with his chore and dropped his load of wood on the ground next to the circle of stones. "Wow, good job, Pikachu." He congratulated as he stretched out, giving his back some relief.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu exclaimed as he showed Ash a thumbs-up.

"So, are you guys all ready?" Misty asked as she approached Ash and Pikachu from behind.

"Almost," Ash said as he started stacking the pile of wood neatly on the inside of the stone circle. "There,' he said as he stood back and took a pokeball off of his belt. "Cyndaquil, I choose you!" he yelled as he threw the pokeball into the air.

The echidna-like pokemon known as Cyndaquil appeared out of the pokeball in a bright flash of light. "Cyndaquil," it exclaimed as it stretched out a bit.

"Cyndaquil," Ash said as he crouched in front of his Fire Mouse pokemon. "I need you to light up that stack of wood with your Flamethrower." He ordered.

"Cynda," Cyndaquil nodded as it turned to face the stack of wood. Flames ignited on its back as it powered up. "Cyndaaa – quillllll," it roared as flames protruded from its mouth, instantly igniting the wood.

"Thanks Cyndaquil, awesome job, return." Ash praised Cyndaquil as he recalled it and clipped the pokeball on his belt.

Misty in the meantime, had sat down on the log next to the fire, staring at the sun as it started making its final descent behind the horizon.

Ash joined Misty and sat down next to her on the log.

"Isn't it beautiful, Ash?" Misty asked, still looking on as darkness started overshadowing the twilight.

Ash was sitting on the other side of Misty, so she was right in his view of the sunset. He noticed that the sun was radiating of Misty, causing her facial features to stand out, making her look gorgeous. Ash's cheeks were now a light red color as his attention was now more on Misty than the sunset behind her. _'I never noticed this, but Misty is kind of…pretty.'_ He thought, before a loud growl radiated from his stomach.

Misty's attention was immediately directed to the sound and she turned to Ash, only to find him staring at her with a blush on his cheeks.

Misty staring at him caused Ash to snap back to reality. "Hehe, oops, sorry you guys. I forgot I didn't even have lunch, so I'm starving." He said while nervously chuckling as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Misty sighed at Ash's antics, until a thought came to her along with realization. "Ash, we don't have any food!"

It took Ash a while to absorb what Misty had just said, and then his eyes grew. "What do you mean no food? Of course we have food!"

Misty wasn't paying any attention to Ash as she was searching her bag for any food, desperation evident in her eyes. "I forgot that Brock normally took care of food, so I never paid any mind to it…" she muttered while searching.

Ash had also scurried over to his bag and threw his sleeping bag out while searching for any sort of food. "Please, let there be something to eat in here…" he prayed silently.

Misty couldn't find anything to eat. She closed her bag and sat back down on the log with her face in her hands, defeated. "How can we forget something like that!" she cursed.

Ash was also busy losing hope. He couldn't find any sign of food in his backpack. However, as he got to the bottom; he felt an unfamiliar box-like object. Pulling out the said object, he noticed that it looked like a small wooden basket with a matching lit on top of it. There was also a note attached on top of the little basket, which Ash immediately opened and started reading.

'_Hey Ash, since you didn't have lunch with us earlier, I thought I would make you some for the road. It's my way of saying thanks for everything and the fun adventures we had together. It's been one heck of a ride and I'm sure going to miss traveling with you guys. _

_Take care._

_Brock'_

Ash folded the letter and put it in his back pocket. He then turned his attention to the small basket and proceeded to open it. Inside of the basket was a bowl of Brock's famous stew with matching cutlery accompanied by a bun. He smiled at the treat as his mouth began watering at the prospect. He then took a glance over to, who was sitting on the log with her arms crossed and looking forlorn at the ground in front of her in failure. _'I'm gonna have to do the right thing here…'_ he smiled as he started making his way over to Misty, holding the basket with goodies in his hands.

Misty noticed Ash approaching her and turned to face him. "What's up Ash?" she asked. "What's that you've got there?" she asked when she noticed the basket he was carrying.

Ash stopped in front of Misty and gently placed the basket on her lap. "There you go, Misty." He said as he smiled half-heartedly at her.

Misty looked at the basket in her lap with a frown. She then looked up at Ash and finally took the lit off of the basket and her eyes grew wide when she saw what was inside. "The lunch Brock made for me and him, but Ash, how did you get this?" she quizzically asked as she looked up at Ash in amazement.

"I guess Brock packed it in for me while we were out this afternoon…" Ash figured as he smiled at Brock's thoughtfulness.

"But Ash, this is yours," Misty started as she closed the basket and pushed it back towards Ash. "I can't ea-"

"No Misty," Ash firmly said. "Please, eat it. I insist." He said as he pushed the basket down into Misty's lap again.

"Pikapi," Pikachu softly exclaimed as he tucked on Ash's pant leg.

Ash looked down at Pikachu, whose stomach could be heard growling. He smiled and bent down next to his first pokemon. "Let's if we can find something for you to eat, buddy." He said as he pulled his backpack closer and started rummaging through it.

Misty just stared at Ash as he searched through his backpack. She then looked down at the basket in her lap and smiled sincerely.

"Hmmm, I wonder how this got here." Ash wondered out loud as he pulled a can out of his backpack. It had an Electric-type insignia on it with a little note on the top. He opened the note and read through the contents.

'_And no Pikachu; I didn't forget about you!'_

"Thank you, Brock." Ash smiled and sat down on the log. He opened the can of pokemon food and handed it over to Pikachu, who happily started eating away.

Misty looked at Ash, who was staring at the ground in front of him with a half-hearted smile on his face, content with the fact that his friends at least had something to eat. Misty smiled sadly at the boy next to her and then looked down at the food. She sighed and turned completely to Ash and balanced the basket on their inside legs.

This caused Ash to jerk his head up and look at Misty.

"Ash," Misty started as she stirred the stew with the spoon that came along with a knife and fork. "We're gonna share this, okay?"

"No Misty," Ash started as he shook his head in disapproval. "It's alright, you can eat it. I'll be oka-"

However, Ash was cut off as a spoon was thrusted into his mouth by Misty. She retracted the spoon out of his mouth and smiled as she watched him savor the taste of the stew.

Misty took a bit of stew with the spoon and ate. She then preceded to hand the spoon to Ash, who also took a bit of stew and ate it and then handed the spoon back to Misty. This continued until all the stew was eaten up. Misty then took the bun, broke it in half and then gave one half to Ash. Ash took it and smiled at her and they each dipped the bun the little remaining stew in the bowl and ate.

"Mmmmm, that was delicious." Misty declared as she stretched her arms above her head.

"Yeah, leave it to Brock to sparkle in his absence." Ash stated with a smile as he thought once more about his now-former traveling companions thoughtfulness.

"Well," Misty started as she got up from their 'seat' and sat down on her sleeping bag. "I guess it's time to go to bed. It's getting pretty late." She declared as she started taking her shoes off.

"Ash it's getting late so I guess we should turn in for the night?"

Ash slowly nodded and was still smiling at Misty.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ash agreed as he got up from the log and picked up his sleeping bag, which was still sprawled out on the ground. He put it down next to Misty's and started rolling it out.

Misty made her way over to Ash, who was busy taking his shoes off. She stood in front of him, causing him to look up at her. "Thanks for sharing your food with me, Ash." She said as she flicked his hat off of his head, causing it to land softly on his sleeping bag. "Goodnight, Ash." She said as she ruffled his hair a bit in a playful manner, like a mother would to her child.

"Hey, I'm not a kid, you know." Ash irritatedly said as he took his jacket off.

"Sure you aren't. Goodnight, Pikachu." Misty sarcastically replied as she crawled into her sleeping bag and turned on her side, facing away from Ash, quickly drifting to sleep.

"Goodnight, Misty." Ash whispered, figuring Misty was asleep and also crawled into his sleeping bag. "Goodnight, buddy." He said to Pikachu as he also drifted off into sleep.

"Pika, Pikachupi. Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu exclaimed to the two humans as he curled himself into a ball close to Ash's head on the sleeping bag and soon fell asleep, with everything quiet for the night…


	5. Chapter 5

**Changing Ways: Chapter Five: Old friend:**

Misty turned to her other side the next morning to try and hide from the sun. To be honest, she was still tired and hungry, and the rays from the sun didn't contribute to that one bit. Besides, she didn't exactly get a worthy meal last night, so her energy levels were pretty low. As she opened her eyes, she could have sworn that she saw something in front of her. Too tired to really care; she closed her eyes again, until she realized what it was she saw. _'Wait, was that…a Weedle I just saw?'_ she thought as she opened her eyes again, only to stare right into the face of the said Weedle.

"Weedle," the Weedle exclaimed as it tilted its head to the side and stared at Misty with curious eyes.

Misty on the other hand, was also staring at the little Bug pokemon, but her cheeks were a shade of blue. "B-b-b-buuug!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Get away! Get away! GET AWAY!" she shouted as she threw her bag, her spare clothes and her sleeping bag at the poor Weedle, causing it to scurry away into the bushes.

"Misty, what's going on?" Ash asked Misty as he groggily sat up in his sleeping bag.

Pikachu also sat up on Ash's sleeping bag, bearing the same dazed expression on his face, just like his master's.

"There was a Weedle sitting right next to me!" Misty frantically yelled as she pointed into the direction in which the Weedle disappeared in "It probably watched me sleep, and touched me!"

Ash stared at Misty with sleepy eyes. He then shrugged at her and fell back down into his sleeping bag again, fast asleep.

Pikachu copied Ash's antics and curled up into a ball again, also fast asleep.

"Hmph, who needs them," Misty started as she got up and started putting her shoes on. "I'll just go and get breakfast for myself. They can fend for themselves." She said as she picked her bag up and headed into the woods, making sure to mark her surroundings now-and-then to prevent getting lost.

Ash and Pikachu, on the other hand, were still fast asleep on Ash's sleeping bag.

Ash was now out of his sleeping bag, laying horizontally over it. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt." He ordered as he pointed to an invisible opponent above him.

"Pi - Kaaa – Chuuu," Pikachu exclaimed as he unleashed a light Thunderbolt on the sleeping Ash and then turned onto his back and kicked the air with one of his hind paws.

"Good job, Pikachu. That was super-effective. Victory is guaranteed! "Ash, who was now a light black color, declared as he turned onto his stomach and kicked Pikachu in the face.

Pikachu, in return, grabbed Ash's foot and started attacking it, causing the two of them to start wrestling in their sleep.

Meanwhile, Misty was still walking through the forest, looking for anything that looked edible. She had already gathered a good amount of berries on her trip. "Mmm, more berries!" she excitedly exclaimed as she looked up at a tree in front of her that was packed full of yet another different collection of berries. "These will have to do for breakfast." She happily announced as she started plucking some of the berries and placed it in her bag along with the rest of her berry collection.

A strange, yet familiar noise could be heard echoing from somewhere in the forest.

"Hey, that sounds like water!" Misty said as she heard the sound. She closed her bag and started running towards the sound. As the bushes in front of her started to thin out, she stumbled across a beautiful pond that was hidden by the trees and thick bushes around it.

"Wow," Misty started as she put her bag down and kneeled beside the pond. "This place is beautiful…" she remarked as she looked around her.

The water in the area caused the surroundings of the pond to flourish with plants and bushes.

"It's a bit cold, but it'll have to do." Misty remarked as she dipped her hand in the water to feel its temperature. She stood up and looked around for a make-shift bowl.

Sadly, she didn't find anything, until she looked up into a tree close by.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed as walked towards the said tree. She plucked off a big leaf and walked back to the pond. She then proceeded to gently lower the leaf into the water. "There, that should be enough." She declared as she picked the leaf out of the water, scooping up some water along the way.

She threw her bag over her shoulder, picked the leaf up gently with both hands and started walking back to the camp site.

When she got back to the camp site; she noticed that Ash and Pikachu were still fast asleep, albeit in different positions than before. She silently placed the leaf on the log and then turned to the sleeping forms of Ash and Pikachu. She smiled at the 'cute' little scene as put her bag down. She then opened her bag, took out some berries and packed them in a neat pile next to the leaf that contained the water.

She then stood up and headed for her bag, which was now a bit lighter because of the heavy load of berries that was taken out, picked it up and threw it over her shoulder. She then headed into the forest once again, following her markings towards the pond…

In the meantime, back at the camp site, Pikachu had slowly started stirring in his sleep and opened his eyes a while later. Having had enough sleep, Pikachu looked over at the still-asleep Ash. He then looked around for Misty, but all he found was a bowl-like leaf filled with water and some berries on the log next to them.

"Pikachupi," Pikachu called out to Misty, but sadly, she was nowhere to be found. He then got up onto all fours, stretched out a bit and scurried up towards his master's face.

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed as he gently poked Ash's cheek with his paw, causing his master to slap him away, causing the poor yellow mouse to roll a few yards and land with a thud, and turn to the other side. Now seemingly annoyed, he walked back towards Ash with electricity sparking from his red cheeks.

"Pi – Ka – Chuuu," Pikachu exclaimed as he unleashed a weak Thundershock attack on Ash.

"Whoa!" Ash yelled as he immediately jerked up on his sleeping bag, electricity running through his body. "Pikachu, what did you do that for!?" he yelled at Pikachu as he furiously glared at the yellow mouse.

"Pika, Pikachupi." Pikachu exclaimed as he pointed to Misty's empty sleeping bag.

"Hey, "Ash started as frowned at Misty's empty sleeping bag. "Where's Misty?" he asked as he looked around for her, but there wasn't any sign of her. "Hmmm, I wonder where she went…"

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed as he tugged on Ash's pant leg and pointed.

"Huh," Ash mumbled as he looked down at Pikachu and where he was pointing. His eyes fell on the bowl-like leaf on the log as well as some berries that were neatly stacked in a pile."Hey, what's that?" he wondered out loud as he took a closer look at the items. "I guess these are for us, Pikachu."

"Pika Pika," Pikachu agreed as he jumped onto the log.

Ash handed a few of the berries for Pikachu to nibble on and took the rest for himself as the two of them started eating.

"Well," Ash started as he bit down on another berry. "This isn't pancakes, but it will have to do, right Pikachu?"

"Cha," Pikachu exclaimed while nodding in agreement as he continued nibbling on his second berry.

Ash stood up, a few dozen berries later, and started putting on his shoes. He then rolled up his sleeping bag, put it into his backpack, closed it and threw it onto his shoulders. He then turned his attention to Misty's sleeping bag. He picked it up, rolled it up and then turned to Pikachu.

"Come on buddy; let's go find Misty!" he excitedly declared.

"Pika," Pikachu exclaimed with excitement as the two of them headed into the forest, in search of the third member of their current traveling group.

Ash and Pikachu looked around for a while, but it was to no avail, because Misty was nowhere in sight.

"I wonder where she is, Pikachu." Ash said as he looked at their surroundings. "I hope she's okay…" he added with a worried expression on his face.

"Pika," Pikachu exclaimed as his ears suddenly perked up.

Ash noticed this and turned to face Pikachu. "What's up, buddy?" he asked Pikachu, who looked as if he was intently listening to something.

"Pikachupi," Pikachu exclaimed as he pointed to their left into the bushes.

"Misty?" Ash asked as he perked up at Pikachu's mentioning of his name for Misty. "Where is she, Pikachu?"

"Pika," Pikachu yelled as he darted off into the bushes.

"Hey Pikachu," Ash yelled as he took off after Pikachu. "Slow down will, you!"

Pikachu ran for a while, and then stopped dead in his tracks, causing Ash to suddenly brake and fall flat on his face.

"Hey, what was that for!?" Ash angrily asked as he sat up and rubbed his now-aching face.

"Pikachupi," Pikachu exclaimed as he pointed to the bush in front of them.

Ash nodded in understanding and peeked through the bush. What he saw made him stare with his mouth hanging open…

In front of him and Pikachu, was a pond, which was well hidden between trees and bushes. It was a beautiful sight to behold. But that wasn't what caught Ash's attention. Inside the pool was Misty. The pond varied from flat to deep and Misty sat in the flat side, with her upper body still exposed above the water.

Ash simply stared at her as she splashed herself with water, happily humming.

Misty removed her hair band, causing her hair to fall loose.

Ash's eyes grew wide as he dazily walked out behind the cover of the bushes, into the open.

Misty then stood up in the shallow water, which allowed Ash to see that she wore her red, two-piece bikini.

"I-I-I…M-Mi-Mis…" Ash stuttered as he gawked wide-eyed at Misty's small figure, dropping her sleeping bag on the grass next to him with his cheeks now a bright red color.

The stuttering sounds immediately caught Misty's attention and caused her to jerk her head towards the source of the babbling: Ash. "Ash," she mumbled as her eyes grew wide in realization. "What do you think you're doing!?" she furiously yelled. "Were you spying on me!?"

"N-n-no Misty," Ash nervously stuttered out as he stumbled backwards. "I was just looking for you a-and Pikachu-"he started explaining.

"Look away!" Misty viciously ordered as she stood up out of the water

Ash visibly flinched at Misty's orders. "So-sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Just keep quiet, Ash Ketchum, and don't look!" Misty furiously ordered as she glared towards Ash, until she noticed Pikachu staring at her with his one ear drooped out of curiosity. "Pikachu, what do you think you're doing!?" she hysterically yelled at the yellow mouse.

Pikachu visibly cringed at Misty's aggression towards him. "Pika Pikachu, Pikachupi-" he started reasoning as he waved his paws defensively in front of him, until he was cut off by a shoe hitting square in the chest, knocking the poor mouse a few feet back.

Pikachu skidded on the ground past Ash, which caused Ash to turn around. He noticed the shoe lying in front of him and then started snickering at Misty's aggression.

"And what's so funny, Ash Ketchum?" Misty rudely asked as she crossed her arms and glared at Ash.

Ash just shook his head at Misty's anger and made his way over to the side of the pond. He bent down, removed his one glove and put that hand in the water. "Wow, the water is not too cold. It's actually kind of nice."

Misty looked at Ash for a while, obviously in thought. "So Ash," she finally said as she slowly made her way over to the boy. "You think the water feels nice?"

Ash nodded absentmindedly and continued swirling his hand in the water, not really paying any attention to Misty.

Pikachu sighed out of relief and sat down against a tree, nibbling on a berry he brought with him from the camp site.

Misty moved ever closer to Ash and gently folded her hands around Ash's hand in the water.

Ash looked up at Misty out of curiousness and saw an evil smirk on her face. Realization then struck him and caused him to visibly gulp.

"In you go, Ashy-boy!" Misty yelled as she forcefully pulled on Ash's hand, causing him to fall face first into the water.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" Ash yelled as his head resurfaced out of the water.

Misty giggled at first, kept quiet immediately when she saw Ash glaring at her. They looked at each other, before both of them started laughing.

Pikachu exasperatedly sighed at the two humans and shook his head in agitation.

"Whaha; serves you right for spying on me." Misty laughed as she dunked Ash's head back under the water.

Ash's hands thrashed around above the water as Misty held him down. He opened his eyes under the water and saw Misty's legs in front of him. _'Wow, nice bikini…'_ he thought as a blush started forming on his cheeks. He quickly shook his head to get the picture out of his mind, and then grabbed Misty's ankles and pulled her legs out from underneath her.

Misty opened her eyes underwater and looked straight into Ash, who was sheepishly grinning at her. She playfully slapped him against the side of the head, which forced him to go back up for air.

Ash got back to the surface and coughed a few times as Misty also resurfaced next to him.

"Pikapi, Pikachupi!" Pikachu called the humans as he approached the edge of the pond.

Ash looked over to Misty and both of them nodded at each other in understandment.

"Oh Pikachu," Misty called Pikachu in a sweet voice. "Come here for a sec…" she called as she made her way to the side of the pond where Pikachu was currently watching from.

"Pikachupi," Pikachu asked as he leaned over the side of the pool to Misty.

Ash watched from a distance with a smirk on his face, knowing all-too-well what Misty had planned for Pikachu.

"The water is great, Pikachu." Misty said in her sweet voice. "You should SEE FOR YOURSELF!" she yelled as she grabbed hold of the yellow mouse and fell backwards into the water, taking Pikachu down with her.

Ash laughed as the two resurfaced and Pikachu scurried over to the side of the pond. He also decided to get out and eventually sat down on the grass next to the pond.

"What's wrong, Ash?" Misty asked as she swam over to the side where Ash currently resided.

"Well," Ash started as he looked up at Misty, who was now resting on her arms on the edge of the pond. "My clothes are all wet! My mom's going to kill me!" he complained as he looked himself over.

"Fine Ash," Misty started as she sighed. "We'll wait until your clothes dry up before we hit the road again. I guess the Gym can stay closed for a day, seeing as everyone who has challenged my sisters got a badge for free anyway." She figured.

"Yeah," Ash started as he took his shoes and socks off. "That's kind of weird if you ask me," he continued as he threw his hat next to his shoes followed by his jacket and black t-shirt. As he was starting to unzip his jeans; he noticed Misty staring at him with a blush on her cheeks. "Uhm Misty, would you mind turning around?" he uncomfortably asked.

"Oh right, uhm sure!" Misty hastily exclaimed and then dove into the water, hiding herself from Ash and Pikachu.

"Uhm, okay?" Ash said as he frowned at Misty's behavior. He then proceeded to undress and put on his swimming trunks. He decided to leave his wet clothes on the grass in the sun to dry out. He then turned back to the pond and noticed bubbles on the surface of the water. He smirked for a moment and then slowly got back in the water…

Misty, in the meantime, was starting to get blue in the face. _'Oh man,'_ she thought as she looked around her.'_I hope Ash hurries up. I'm running out of air down here…'_ she thought until she was snapped out of her thoughts by a pair of arms wrapping around her body and pulling her up towards the surface. Once she got up to the surface; she gasped for air and looked around her in shock, until she stared right into a grinning Ash.

"Hey Misty," he said as he grinned at Misty. "What were you doing down there?" he asked as he pointed down to the water.

"I was hiding from the sight of YOU undressing!" Misty yelled as she pushed Ash's head under the water.

Ash resurfaced out of the water and shook his head. "Oops, sorry about that, Misty…" he said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Hmph," Misty huffed as she crossed her arms and turned away.

Ash sighed and moved closer to Misty. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and fell backwards, with Misty in his arms, causing them both to crash into the water.

Pikachu sat on the grass next to Ash's wet clothes and looked on.

Ash and Misty surfaced and started splashing at each other while happily laughing. Misty occasionally dunked Ash and he returned the favor by pulling her legs out from underneath her.

Misty then jumped on Ash and wrapped her legs around his torso, rendering him useless.

Ash stared up at Misty, who was smirking at him. "Uh – Oh…" he muttered before he was sent crashing into the water by Misty from something that looked like a suplex.

Ash re-emerged from the water and spat some of it out of his mouth."Whoa Misty, how'd you do that…" he asked as he stared at her in amazement because of the acrobatic feat.

"By working out, and television, of course." Misty said as she playfully flexed her muscles at Ash.

"Right," Ash sarcastically remarked as he chuckled at Misty's 'muscles', until his stomach emulated a loud growl. "Well, I guess I'm hungry." He said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Time for lunch!" he excitedly declared with a fist pump.

Misty sighed at Ash's seemingly unsatisfying hunger. "Fine Ash, we'll go look for lunch then." She announced as she pushed Ash's head under the water and started making her way over towards the side to get out of the water.

Ash resurfaced a moment later and spit water out of his mouth as he glared at Misty, who was now sitting on the grass. "Hey, why'd you do that!?" he irritatedly asked as he climbed out of the water and pluffed down on the grass next to her.

"Why wouldn't I have done it?" Misty asked as she stretched her arms over her head as she looked up at the sky. "You're an easy target, Ash." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I am not!" Ash said as he crossed his arms and huffed in agitation.

"Whatever you say, Ash," Misty said as she got up. "Now come on, we've got to find some lunch, since we don't have anything to eat with us." She said as she took her bag and went behind a tree.

"Uh Misty, where are you going?" Ash asked as he looked at the bush Misty was currently behind with a confused expression on his face.

"I'm getting dressed!" Misty yelled as she oaked her head out from behind the bush. "And you'd better stay away!" she warned before her face disappeared behind the bush again.

"Hehe, uh right," Ash nervously chuckled as he quickly moved towards his clothes that were sprawled out over the grass. "Hmm, well my clothes are all dry," he said as he picked the said clothes up and made his way behind a bush.

When Ash and Misty were finished with getting dressed; the three of them headed into the forest in search of some food.

"Hey guys, look over there!" Ash excitedly said as he pointed to a tree. "There's an Oran berry tree!"

The three of them cheered and started hastily making their way over to the Oran berry tree. But, sadly, before they got to the tree; the ground beneath them gave way and they fell, into a hole…

"Uh, what happened?" Ash groggily asked as he rubbed his aching head.

"Whahahaha," Ash, Misty and Pikachu heard a familiar laugh from above as three silhouettes appeared from the sides and looked down at them.

"Prepare for trouble, because we dug a hole." A red-headed female began.

"Yes, and make it double, because it took its toll." A blue-haired man added, but he was bent over, holding his back and it looked as if he was in some pain.

"To protect the world from devastation." The red-headed woman known as Jessie, continued.

"To unite all-"the blue-haired man, James, started, but stopped when he looked down the hole with more intent and then turned to Jessie. "Say Jessie, aren't there three twerps?"

Jessie looked down into the hole as well. "You're right, James. The squinty-eyed twerp is missing." She added upon closer inspection.

"It looks like we've stumbled onto sum lovebiwds guys!" Meowth added his input, causing the Team Rocket trio to snicker.

"Us, lovebirds," Misty started. "Please, I don't waste my time with children…" she said as she turned the other way with an 'hmph'.

"Well, it sure doesn't look that way." Jessie stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, considurin' that you followed da twerp all over da place." Meowth added with a smirk.

"I did not!" Misty yelled. "He just owes me a bike, that's all."

"Sure," Jessie said with a smirk.

"Anyway," Meowth interrupted before Misty could say anymore. "Say goodbye ta Pikachu!" he yelled pushed a button on some kind of remote control.

A rubber mechanical hand suddenly appeared and came straight at Ash, Misty and Pikachu. It grabbed Pikachu and started retracting back out of the hole.

"Pikachu, give me back Pikachu!" Ash frantically yelled as he tried to climb up the side of the hole after Pikachu.

Misty, who was the closest to Pikachu, grabbed onto the rubber hand and was pulled out along with the yellow mouse.

"Pikachu, Misty!" Ash yelled after them as he started crawling out of the hole.

"Say James," Jessie said as she noticed Misty coming back up along with Pikachu. "It looks like we have an unwelcome guest."

"You don't say." James said as he peeked down at Pikachu and Misty.

"Meowth, get rid of her." Jessie ordered.

"Gotcha," Meowth said as he turned to Misty with the remote control in his paws. "Say yours prayers, twerp!" he yelled at her as he pushed a button on the remote control, causing the mechanic hand to start swinging around wildly.

"H-Help me, please!" Misty yelled as she held on for dear life. "I'm losing my grip!" she yelled as she started sliding down the hand.

"Pikachupi," Pikachu cried as he tried to squirm loose to help Misty, but it was to no avail.

"Hang on, Misty!" Ash yelled, still trying to get to the top of the hole.

"Help!" Misty yelled as she completely lost her grip and came pummeling down towards the ground.

"Misty!" Ash yelled. He had seen Misty starting to fall just as he got out of the hole and was currently running to get under her, but he soon realized that he wasn't going to get to Misty in time. He stopped running as he helplessly stared as she kept falling.

Misty just closed her eyes shut, waiting to hit the ground.

As Misty was about to hit the ground; she was grabbed out of the air in the nick of time.

Ash stared in shock as the pokemon turned around in the air and started flying towards him. "Can it be, after all this time?" he asked in shock.

"Am I dead yet?" Misty asked as she slowly opened one of her eyes. "I'm flying, so that means, I'm dead!" she yelled as she started to panic and almost fell down the side of her savior. Lying flat on the pokemon's back; Misty looked down into a familiar face. "Pidgeot, is that you?" she uncertainly asked as she slowly sat up.

"Pidgeooo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it smirked at Misty. Yes, it was indeed Pidgeot, the third pokemon that Ash ever owned and caught as a Pidgeotto way back in the beginning of his pokemon journey.

Pidgeot gracefully landed in front of Ash and Misty jumped off.

"Pidgeot, is it really you?" Ash uncertainly asked as he stepped closer to Pidgeot.

Pidgeot nodded and bowed its head for Ash.

"Pidgeot, it's so good to see you again!" Ash happily said as he hugged his loyal pokemon around the neck.

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot happily chirped at the attention it was getting.

"Hey look, yous guys, it's the twerp's old Pidgeot." Meowth pointed out.

Jessie nodded and suddenly looked petrified. "You guys, I think we should get out of here…" she whispered to the rest of her team.

The trio nodded and silently started floating away in their balloon, until Wobbuffet emerged out of its pokeball.

"Woooobuffet," Wobbuffet exclaimed nonchalantly, which caught Ash and Misty's attention.

"They've still got Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he started running after Team Rocket's balloon.

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it flew next to Ash, signaling for him to hop on its back.

"You want to help, don't you, Pidgeot?" Ash asked as he jumped on Pidgeot's back.

"Pidgeo," Pidgeot nodded and as soon as Ash was seated; it took off after Team Rocket's balloon.

"Uh-oh," Jessie said as she caught sight of Pidgeot approaching them. "It doesn't look as if this is going to end well for us…" she said as she braced herself.

"Alright Pidgeot, use your Wing Attack to slice that balloon!" Ash ordered from on top of Pidgeot's back.

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot obeyed as its wings started glowing white and it charged at Team Rocket's balloon, slicing a hole through it.

The Team Rocket trio, along with Wobbuffet, simultaneously gulped as their balloon started spiraling out of control.

"We were so close!" Jessie yelled trough the air.

"Only to be outdone by a bird!" James added from next to her.

"We are awlways clos', don't ya mowrons ever get tired of complainin'!" Meowth also added.

"Wobbuffet," Wobbuffet nonchalantly exclaimed.

"Looks we're blasting off agaaaaain!" Jessie, James and Meowth simultaneously yelled.

"Wobbu," Wobbuffet added afterwards.

A loud 'ping' could be heard as Team Rocket disappeared into the atmosphere.

"Pika," Pikachu exclaimed as he fell out of the sky towards the ground.

"Hang on, Pikachu!" Misty yelled as she started running around in circles trying to get under Pikachu. "I've got you!" she said as she caught Pikachu out of the air and hugged him tightly against her. "Pikachu, thank goodness you're alright!" she stated, visibly relieved.

"Pikachupi," Pikachu exclaimed as he rubbed his cheek up against Misty's.

"Pikachu," Ash said as Pidgeot landed on the ground next to Misty and Pikachu. He jumped off of Pidgeot's back and ran to them.

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped out of Misty's arms into Ash's waiting arms.

"I'm so glad you guys are safe." Ash said as Pikachu climbed up onto his shoulder.

"And we have Pidgeot to thank for that." Misty praised Pidgeot as she gently stroked its feathers, to which Pidgeot happily chirped.

"Well, I don't think we're going to be able to travel today." Ash said as he looked at the sky. "It's almost dark." He pointed out.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Misty said as she stared at the sky. "I guess the Gym will be closed for another day then…" she sighed.

"Well, I guess we better set up camp for the night." Ash said. "And seeing as our bags are still at the pond, I guess we're staying there for the night." He proposed.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Misty agreed.

"Thanks for helping us out, Pidgeot." Ash said as he stroked Pidgeot's feathers. "You're welcome to stay and spend the night with us, if you'd like?" he proposed.

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot happily exclaimed as it nodded and turned to Pikachu. "Geeeo," it exclaimed to the yellow mouse, looking as if it was asking Pikachu something.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu nodded and then jumped on Pidgeot's head.

Once Pidgeot was satisfied that Pikachu was comfortable; it took off and soared through the air.

"Well, I guess Pikachu's got a ride." Ash said as he smiled at his two pokemon. "Hey Pidgeot," he yelled at Pidgeot.

"Pidgeo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it looked down at Ash.

"We're heading over to that pond in the forest!" Ash yelled as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "We're going to camp there for the night. Do you know where it is?" he added.

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it nodded in approval and started flying in the pond's direction, followed by Ash and Misty on the ground…

"Phew," Misty started as she pluffed down on the grass next to the pond. "I'm bushed." She stated as she lay back on her elbows.

"Yeah," Ash agreed as he sat down next to her. "And to top it all off, we still don't have anything to eat!" he complained as he held his stomach.

"Yeah, don't remind me." Misty said as she sighed depressively.

"Well, I'm going to go look for some fire wood." Ash announced as he got back up onto his feet. He looked around for any companions, but saw that Pikachu and Pidgeot were happily chatting away underneath a tree. He decided to give them some time to catch up and headed into the bushes.

"Then I'm going to get the campsite ready." Misty announced as she started unrolling her sleeping bag.

"Pikachup, Pika Pikachu." Pikachu exclaimed at Pidgeot.

"Pidgeeeo, Geo." Pidgeot exclaimed as it nodded and the two pokemon took off into the bushes.

"Hey," Misty yelled as she saw the two pokemon disappearing into the woods. "Hmm, I wonder where they're off to…" she wondered out loud, but shrugged it off as two friends catching up and then continued to unroll Ash's sleeping bag.

Ash returned a little while later with his arms full of fire wood, and he dropped the pile onto the ground and started packing the fire. "Hey," he started as he looked around. "Where are Pikachu and Pidgeot?"

"I don't know." Misty said as she looked up at Ash. "They disappeared into the bushes a while ago." She explained.

"Hmm, I wonder where they went…" Ash wondered out loud as he stood back up and took a pokeball of his belt. "Come on out, Cyndaquil!" he yelled as he threw the pokeball into the air.

The pokeball popped open in mid-air and Cyndaquil appeared on the ground in a bright flash of light.

"Cynda," Cyndaquil exclaimed as it looked around.

"Cyndaquil, I need you to light that pile of wood with your Flamethrower." Ash instructed.

"Cynda," Cyndaquil nodded as a flame protruded from its back. "Cyndaquil," it exclaimed as it fired a flame out of its mouth at the wood, lighting it instantly.

"Thanks, Cyndaquil, return." Ash said as he held the pokeball up to Cyndaquil, retracting it back into its pokeball, and he then clipped it back onto his belt. _'I wish I could let you guys out of your pokeballs, but I don't have any pokemon food with me.'_ Ash thought with a sad smile...

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped out of the bushes, heading straight for Ash.

"Huh," Ash asked as he turned around, only to catch Pikachu in the nick of time. "Pikachu, where were you? And where's Pidgeot?" he sternly asked his yellow mouse.

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it swept over the bushes and landed in front of Ash, carrying what appeared to be a leaf.

Upon closer inspection; Ash realized that the leaf was filled with various kinds of berries. "Are these for us?" he asked his two pokemon.

Pikachu and Pidgeot simultaneously nodded in approval.

"So that's where you two went earlier?" Misty asked as she came up from behind Ash.

The two pokemon once again nodded simultaneously.

"Wow, thanks a lot, you guys!" Ash gratefully said as he picked the leaf up and put it next to his bag backpack.

The camp was all set up and Misty, Ash, Pikachu and Pidgeot sat around the fire, eating the berries. After dinner the gang decided to head to bed. Pidgeot found itself a nice branch in a tree to sleep on. Ash and Pikachu got into Ash's sleeping bag with Pikachu lying on top of it. Misty got into her sleeping bag.

"Goodnight Misty, goodnight Pikachu, goodnight Pidgeot." Ash said as he turned around and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight, you guys." Misty said as she also turned around and closed her eyes.

"Pikachu Pikapi, Pikachu Pikachupi, Pikachu Pikachup." Pikachu exclaimed as he curled up and went to sleep.

"Pidgeeeeoo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it made itself comfortable and also went to sleep.

And so everything was quiet for the night as everyone was sound asleep…


	6. Chapter 6

**Changing Ways: Chapter Six: Reunion: **

Misty slowly started stirring in her sleeping bag the next morning. She groggily opened her eyes and looked up at the blue sky. She then noticed the excess weight against her arm and turned her head to see what it was. On her left shoulder, very close to her face, was a mop of black hair, which belonged to Ash. She stared at his head for a moment with a deep blush on her cheeks, and then, she exploded…

"ASH!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, sending a miniature quake throughout the forest, causing a few stray Pidgey to fly out of the nearby trees.

"Uh," Ash mumbled as he started stirring. He sat up and looked around with half-open eyes. "Misty?" he groggily asked as he turned around to face Misty. "Why are you shouting like that?"

Misty was sitting with her arms crossed and her lips pouted, with a deep red blush on her cheeks. "Hmph." She muttered.

"What's wrong with you?" Ash asked as he frowned at Misty in confusion over her behavior.

"What's wrong with me?" Misty asked as her temper started rising. "What's wrong with you!? Why was YOUR head resting on MY shoulder when I woke up?" she yelled into Ash's face.

"What're you talking about?" Ash asked as he tilted his head to the side at Misty in absolute confusion.

"Don't play dumb with me, Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled as she got up onto her feet. "You know exactly what happened…" she added with a blush as she kneeled at the pond.

"Misty, I don't know what you're talking ab-"Ash started explaining.

"Just keep quiet and get dressed!" Misty interrupted him. "We've still got a long way to go to get to Cerulean City, so the sooner you finish up, the sooner we get there." She declared as she started washing her face.

"But-"Ash started protesting.

"Just get up and start packing away, Ash!" Misty interrupted Ash again as she turned around to face him and glared at the boy.

"Fine…" Ash mumbled as he got up. "Come on, Pikachu." He said as he shooed Pikachu off of his sleeping bag.

**[WHAT REALLY HAPPENED THE PREVIOUS NIGHT…]**

_It was pitch black dark around Ash, Misty and Pikachu's campsite, the fire having died out quite a while ago and everyone was sound asleep. Everyone except Ash however, who was slowly waking up because of thirst._

"_Uh," Ash mumbled as he slowly sat up in his sleeping bag. He groggily looked around him, only to be met by darkness. He felt around in the dark and his hands landed on the sleeping, furry form of Pikachu next to his backpack which served as his pillow. "Man," he whispered as he groggily rubbed his eyes. "I'm so thirsty…" he complained. He squinted and faintly made out the sleeping form of Misty. He stood up and slowly made his way over to the edge of the pond, causing a rustling of leaves along the way._

_Pikachu's ears merely twitched at the faint rustling noises. "Cha," he exclaimed as he snuggled tighter into a ball._

_Misty simply sighed in comfort and snuggled deeper into her bag which acted as her pillow._

_Ash kneeled down next to the pond and gave off a large yawn. He then lowered his hands into the water and scooped up some water. He then proceeded to slurp up the water from his hands, enjoying the cold liquid down his throat. After he had his share of water; tiredness caught up with him again. He gave off a large yawn as he groggily made his way back to his sleeping bag. He was nearing his sleeping bag when he accidently tripped over a branch sticking out of the ground, causing him to fall forward across his sleeping bag, and land with his head on Misty's shoulder. He was too tired to care and decided to pass out right there in that position._

_Misty laid her head gently on top of Ash's out of instinct and the two of them slightly snuggled against each other, with Ash snuggling into her neck for warmth._

_Pikachu stretched out because of the sudden extra space and snoozed on, oblivious to what happened along with Ash and Misty…_

**[END OF FLASHBACK…]**

"Hey," Ash started as he looked around their camp site. "Where's Pidgeot?"

"That's a good question, Ash…" Misty said as she looked in the trees around them, suddenly also curious about where Pidgeot went.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu kept looking around in the trees for any sign of Pidgeot, but it was nowhere to be found.

"I guess it had to get back to the Pidgey…" Ash figured with a sad smile as he slowly sat down on the log.

"Cheer up, Ash." Misty tried to lighten Ash's mood as she sat down next to him. "I'm sure that Pidgeot had a good explanation for just disappearing. Maybe the Pidgey needed it or something…" she tried to further reassure him.

"Yeah, I know that Pidgeot has a big responsibility looking after all those Pidgey." Ash said as he looked up at Misty with a sincere smile on his face. "But still, I wish it could have said goodbye before going back again…"

"Ash," Misty started as she gently put her hand on Ash's shoulder. "I'm sure that Pidgeot won't let us leave without saying goodbye." She reassured the boy.

"Yeah, you're probably right…" Ash said. "Thanks, Misty." He said as he looked at Misty with a half-hearted smile.

"Come on," Misty said as she lightly punched Ash on the shoulder. "Let's get moving." She said with a smile as she got up and threw her bag over her shoulder.

Ash nodded and stood up. He looked in the trees around them one more time before putting his backpack over his shoulders.

Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder and nuzzled his cheek against his master's.

"Thanks, Pikachu." Ash said as he scratched Pikachu behind his ear, earning a "Cha" from the yellow mouse. "Well," he started as he turned to Misty. "Let's hit the road then." He declared half-heartedly as he started walking into the forest.

'_Ash is really bummed out about Pidgeot…_' Misty thought as she followed Ash and took note of his attitude. _'I really don't think that it would just leave us like that, it must have had a really good reason…' _she figured as she sighed and looked at him a sad smile.

The rest of the way out of the forest went by without much fuss. The group made their way safely out of the forest and was greeted by the bright rays from the sun.

"Wow," Misty exclaimed as she pluffed down on a patch of grass. "The sun sure feels good, doesn't it, Ash?" she added, but did not receive an answer. "Ash?" she tried again, but turned towards the boy this time.

Ash was facing the forest behind them, staring intently into it and not paying much attention to Misty.

"Pikapi," Pikachu softly exclaimed as he tapped on Ash on his shoulder with his tail, with Misty looking on from a few feet back.

"Don't worry, Pikachu." Ash said as he looked down, hiding his eyes under the brim of his hat. "I'm fine." He reassured Pikachu with a sad smile. "Well, goodbye, Pidgeot. Take care, old buddy…" he said as he slowly started walking down the road heading to Cerulean City.

Misty started following Ash with a sad expression on her face, while Pikachu tried his best to comfort his master.

'_Poor Ash,'_ Misty thought as she watched Ash from behind._ "This must be really hard for him. He is very close to his Pokemon, so leaving one of them behind probably kills him inside…'_ she figured as she stared sadly at the boy walking in front of her.

The three of them slowly walked down the road until they heard clapping wings and bird-like sounds from behind them.

"Pidgeeeo," a familiar voice called out from the trees behind them.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu immediately turned towards the source of the noise. Approaching them was a huge flock of Flying-type pokemon, Pidgey. But there were also three bigger pokemon flying with them. Ash, Misty and Pikachu looked on as the flock of Pidgey flew in circles over them.

A Pidgeot landed in front of them along with two smaller versions, namely Pidgeotto. The Pidgeot walked closer and stopped right in front of Ash.

"Pidgeot…" Ash whispered. He knew that this Pidgeot was his. He slowly reached out to Pidgeot, an action which Pidgeot responded to by bowing its head down for Ash to rub its head. He slowly and gently caressed the feathers on Pidgeot's head, causing the flying pokemon to chirp in satisfaction.

"Pikachup, Pika Pika?" Pikachu asked Pidgeot as he jumped on its head.

"Geeeo, Pidgeeeo." Pidgeot exclaimed as it happily smiled up at Pikachu.

Misty looked up and noticed all the Pidgey still flying around over their heads, as if they're waiting.

Ash also noticed the Pidgey above and realization struck him soon after. He then backed away slightly from Pidgeot, which caused the bird to look at Ash out of curiousness.

"Pidgeeo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it turned its head to the side as it looked at Ash with confusion.

"Pidgeot," Ash started as he smiled up at Pidgeot. "You have to stay here to protect the Pidgey and I promised that I would come back for you. But," he stopped and his smile turned into a sad one. "If that means that the Pidgey here will be put in danger again, so I think you should rather stay here on a permanent basis…"he said as he turned around."Goodbye, Pidgeot. Take care." He said as he slowly started walking away.

"Ash…" Misty whispered as she turned to face Pidgeot again. She gave the bird a smile and nod of both understanding and encouragement. She then turned back to Ash and reluctantly started following him.

Pikachu looked at Pidgeot in sadness. "Pika…" he softly exclaimed.

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it nodded in understanding at Pikachu. It then turned around to lead the flock Pidgey back into their home.

Pidgeot was stopped however, by the two Pidgeotto in the flock.

"Pidgeo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it frowned in confusion at the Pidgeotto.

The two Pidgeotto nodded and then motioned it over to where Ash was walking with their heads.

"Pidgeo," Pidgeot exclaimed as its eyes grew wide in surprise.

The Pidgeotto merely nodded again with content smiles.

"Pidgeeeo, Geeeo!" Pidgeot exclaimed with excitement as it took off towards Ash, who had made quite the headway down the road in the meantime.

Ash wasn't paying attention. He walked rather slowly with his gaze fixed on the ground in front of him.

Pidgeot landed right in front of Ash, which caused the boy to abruptly stop in his tracks.

Ash jerked his head up in surprise and saw Pidgeot in front of him. "Pidgeot, what are you doing?" he quizzically asked the bird pokemon.

"Pidgeeeo, Pidgeeeo!" Pidgeot exclaimed with an excited tone as it spread its wings.

"Uh, right…" Ash mumbled as he sweat-dropped, not quite understanding what Pidgeot is saying.

"Ash," Misty started as she walked up behind Ash. "I think Pidgeot's saying that it wants to come with you." She explained to the dense boy.

Ash looked back at Pidgeot. "Is that it, Pidgeot?" he asked the bird as his lips started curling into a smile. "You want to travel with me again?"

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot exclaimed with a positive nod.

Ash's face lit up considerably, but the joy was soon replaced with sorrow. "But, the Pidgey, you need to protect them…" he said as he bit down on his lower lip in disappointment.

Just then, the two Pidgeotto flew down and landed next to Ash and Pidgeot. They shook their heads and pointed to Ash with their beaks.

Ash; still confused pretty confused, just sweat-dropped at the three bird pokemon in front of him. "Uh," he mumbled in confusion.

"I get it," Misty said as she came up and stood next to Ash. "The Pidgeotto want Pidgeot to come with you Ash, they feel now that they have evolved; they are strong enough to defend the rest of the Pidgey from danger." She explained to the boy.

Ash slowly nodded as he processed the information. "So, that means you can come with us, Pidgeot!?" he asked in sheer excitement.

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot happily exclaimed as it nodded at Ash.

The entire group, consisting out of Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Pidgeot, happily cheered, until…

"WHOA!" Ash yelled out of the blue, which caused Misty, Pikachu and Pidgeot to all fall backwards out of shock.

"What's the big idea, Ash?" Misty irritatedly asked as she rubbed her head in annoyance.

"I don't have Pidgeot's pokeball with me!" Ash yelled in response.

"Now what are we going to do!?" Misty asked, with irritation evident in her voice. "We can't just fly Pidgeot all the way to Cerulean City!"

"That's a great idea, Misty!" Ash excitedly said. "But, you're thinking too far." He further added. "There might be a Pokemon Center closer to us than Cerulean City, so we're aiming for that instead!" he declared. "Once we get there, we can call Professor Oak and ask him to transfer Pidgeot's pokeball to us, since I left there." He finally concluded.

"Ash, that won't work!" Misty aggravatedly enlightened Ash. "We don't even know where the closest Pokemon Center is! It could be in Cerulean City for all we know!" she explained. "So riding Pidgeot all the way to there is out of the question." She finally declared as she crossed her arms.

Sadly; as Misty opened her eyes to look at Ash; she found him and Pikachu already busy climbing up onto Pidgeot's back.

"Are you coming, Misty?" Ash asked as he turned his head to face Misty.

Misty stared at the three of them in disbelief for a moment before sighing in agitation. "Yeah yeah, I'm coming…" she mumbled as she carefully got onto Pidgeot's back.

Once Misty was secure; Pidgeot took off with intent, which caused Misty to involuntary throw her arms around Ash's mid-section in order to stay on the bird pokemon's back. On the other hand; Pikachu was sitting comfortably on Pidgeot's head.

Pidgeot gained altitude until it was flying next to the clouds in the sky and then remained at a constant height from there on.

The clouds were really intriguing Misty and out of curiosity, she stuck her left arm out, albeit making sure to keep a tight grip on Ash with her other arm, and let it swerve thought the clouds next to them. It felt cold and tingled her bare skin, which made her giggle very un-Misty-ish.

"What's up, Misty?" Ash asked over his shoulder when he noticed Misty's giggling behind him.

"Oh, it's nothing, Ash." Misty answered nonchalantly. "Just the clouds." She explained.

Satisfied with the answer; Ash just shrugged and turned his attention back to the front as Pidgeot continued on its trek through the air...

Hey Ash: look!" Misty yelled out after quite a while of flying. "There's a Pokemon Center!" she excitedly yelled as she pointed down below a few yards in front of them.

Ash looked down and sure enough, the red pokeball-shaped roof of the Pokemon Center was clearly visible below them. "Alright, Pidgeot," he said as he looked down at Pidgeot, whom he noticed looked a bit worn out. "Land there over at the Pokemon Center, okay?" he ordered his reclaimed bird pokemon.

Pidgeot merely nodded as it began to make its descent down to the Pokemon Center.

Misty instinctively held on tighter to Ash and closed her eyes as Pidgeot quickly approached the ground below.

Pidgeot landed gracefully and without much trouble, right in front of the front doors of the Pokemon Center.

Misty slowly opened up one eye. "Phew…" she breathed a sigh of relief as she quickly climbed off of Pidgeot's back, happy with the fact that there was solid ground below her feet once more.

"Thanks, Pidgeot." Ash said as he climbed off of Pidgeot's back, followed closely by Pikachu. "You were awesome. You can just wait here. We won't be long, okay?" he suggested.

"Pidgeeo," Pidgeot nodded and flew towards a nearby tree, taking this opportunity to relax.

The group, consisting out of Pikachu, Ash and Misty, then headed into the Pokemon Center.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokemon Center." Nurse Joy greeted with a friendly smile from behind the counter.

"Chansey Chans," Chansey added from next to Nurse Joy, also bearing a friendly smile on her face.

Ash, Pikachu and Misty all waved at Nurse Joy and Chansey before directing their attention towards the video phones in the corner. Ash made his way over to the phones while Misty took a seat on a couch nearby with Pikachu, who curled himself into a ball to get some rest.

Misty smiled at Pikachu and gently stroked his fur, which earned her a "Cha" in the process.

Meanwhile, Ash had already found himself a seat in front of a video phone and waited for Professor Oak to answer.

A picture of an elderly man with grayish hair and a white lab coat appeared on the screen. "Why hello there, Ash." Professor Oak happily greeted Ash. "It's good to see you again."

"Hey there, Professor Oak," Ash greeted Professor Oak with a smile. "I was just wondering of you could do me a favor…" Ash asked into the screen.

"Sure, Ash, what is it that you want me to do?" Professor Oak asked as he looked at Ash with curiousness in his eyes.

"I was just wondering if you could send over Pidgeot's pokeball to me." Ash asked Professor Oak,

Professor Oak looked quizzically at Ash for a moment. "Sure, Ash," he said after a while. "But I thought that your Pidgeot was protecting the flock of Pidgey in the area? I see the flock in the air from time-to-time." He added

Ash nodded. "It's a long story, Professor. I'll tell you all about it when I'm home again." He assured Professor Oak

Professor Oak nodded and then disappeared from the screen. He reappeared moments later. "Here it is." He said as he held a pokeball up to the screen for Ash to see. "I'll send it to you right away!" he informed the boy.

Ash nodded and sure enough, the said-pokeball materialized in the socket next to the phone. "Thanks a lot, Professor Oak!" he thanked Professor Oak as he held the pokeball up to the screen for him to see.

"No problem, Ash." Professor Oak said. "Take care of yourself!" he greeted before the screen turned black, signaling the end of the transaction.

"Hey, you guys, we're all done!" Ash said to Pikachu and Misty as he showed them the newly-reacquired pokeball of Pidgeot.

Misty and Pikachu nodded and stood up. The gang bid farewell to Nurse Joy and Chansey, and then left the Pokemon Center.

"Pidgeot, where are you?" Ash called out with his hands cupped around his mouth.

"Pidgeeeo," Pidgeot exclaimed as it appeared out of a nearby tree and landed in front of Ash.

"You deserve a nice, long rest, Pidgeot, return." Ash said as he held the pokeball up to Pidgeot.

Pidgeot disappeared into a red beam of energy which was retracted into the pokeball.

Ash then looked at the pokeball for a moment. He then smiled happily and placed it on his belt. He then turned his attention to Misty and Pikachu. "Well, guess we should get moving, you guys." He informed them

"Yeah," Misty agreed. "We can reach Cerulean City by lunch if we start walking now." She figured.

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed and jumped on Ash's shoulder.

"Cerulean City, here we come!" Ash excitedly exclaimed as threw his fist in the air as the gang started walking down the road headed to Cerulean City…


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews (and criticism of course) on the last chapter. Yeah sorry about the paragraph errors I'll work on it from this chapter.**

**I split this chapter to make it fit in more in context with the story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 7: For the sake of Misty**

"Misty I'm hungryyy…how much further is it?" Ash looked as if he was going to fall forward any second, with loud growling sound emulating from his stomach.

The gang has been walking for quite a while and the lack of food was beginning to take its toll on Ash. Misty and Pikachu sighed at Ash.

"Why didn't you just get something to eat when we were at the Pokemon Center?" Misty turned her head to look at Ash, an amusing look on her face.

Ash clearly thought about it for a moment, and then he shrugged. "Don't know…guess I didn't think about it then…"

Misty sighed and shook her head. "Nice going Ash…"

Ash laughed half-heartedly and rubbed the back of his head as his stomach emitted another loud growl.

Misty slapped her palm against her forehead. "Don't worry Ash; we'll get something to eat once we get to Cerulean City 'kay?"

"But we don't even know how that still is!" Ash groaned and pouted.

Misty stopped. "Ash…QUIT BEING A BABY!" Misty's teeth were sharp as she shouted at Ash.

Ash flinched under Misty's wrath. "Sjeesh calm down Misty…I was just saying…you didn't have to get so angry ya know…"

"SHUT UP ASH KETCHUM!" Misty spat at Ash.

"NO YOU SHUT UP!" Ash spat back at her.

"GRRRRR…" Both growled at each other.

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and stood one side. "Pika…" He sighed at the two humans.

Misty folded her arms and closed her eyes. "Well…you're still not gonna get anything to eat until we get to Cerulean City…" said Misty with a triumphant smirk on her face.

Ash looked depressively at Misty and sighed in defeat.

"That's what I thought…" Misty stated as she started walking again.

Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder as he started walking after her. "Hmph…" was all Ash muttered out.

[A WHILE LATER…]

The gang reached the top of a hill which looked down on Cerulean City.

"Look you guys we're here!" Misty was happy to be back home again. It has been a while since she slept in her own bed and she missed her Horsea and Starmie.

Ash and Pikachu stood next to her and looked down on Cerulean City. "Wow…it's been a while since we were last here hey Pikachu?"

"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Ash's stomach gave off a loud growl. Misty face-faulted and Pikachu fell off Ash's shoulder. Ash scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.

"Guess I'm hungrier than I thought…"

Misty recovered and sighed. "Fine…let's go get something to eat…"

Ash and Pikachu cheered and punched their fists into the air. "Alright"

"Pika" Pikachu added.

They walked down the hill towards Cerulean City in hopes of finding a nice restaurant to eat at. As they walked down the streets; they noticed that it was pretty quiet and peaceful.

"Where is everyone…?" Misty exclaimed as she looked around.

"Yeah…it's so quiet…" Ash looked around him too.

As they turned the corner; their question was answered as they saw a large group of people in front of a big TV-screen on the wall of a building. They approached the bundle of people.

Ash spotted something else along the way though. "Hey look a hotdog stand!" Ash left a trail of dust as he braked in front of the stand.

Misty sighed at Ash as she sweat-dropped. Pikachu darted off after Ash towards the stand. "Guess I'll check out what the big commotion is about then…"

Misty walked over to where the large crowd was watching something on the big screen TV.

"Can I get four chilidogs and an extra large coda please" Ash ordered at the clerk of the stand.

The clerk looked at Ash with wide eyes. "Certainly…j-just wait a f-few moments." He stuttered out. He went to the back while Ash waited, his mouth emitting drool.

Misty squeezed through the crowd to get in the front. On the screen in front of her stood a man in a tuxedo and hat with sunglasses in front of some unknown Gym which was closed down with yellow tape.

"Yeah that's right folks we've closed this here Gym because it was unsafe, unclean and just plain uncool. This is the fourth gym in less than a month that the Pokemon Inspection Agency has closed down. We've also heard rumors that the Cerulean Gym falls under those categories, also handing out badges for free. So we are going to Cerulean City to investigate these allegations and shut the Gym down if needed!"

Misty stared blankly at the screen, no sound coming through to her. "T-the Gym…there's no Gym Leader…if they get to it now it will be closed…" Misty eyes started filling with panic. "I-I've got to get to the Gym!"

Misty started wrestling her way out of the crowd, trying to get to the back. Once she was out she started sprinting into the direction where Ash was waiting for his meal.

The clerk of the stand was just done with Ash's order. "Here you go…four chilidogs and an extra large soda." The clerk was about to hand Ash's food over to him…when Misty came running by.

Grabbing Ash by his back pack, she pulled him after her towards the Gym, Pikachu hanging on to Ash's shoulder.

The clerk looked on as Misty pulled Ash down the street out of view. "Wow…that guy's girlfriend is almost weirder than he is…"

"Misty…what's the big idea! Lemme go lemme go! I wanna get my chilidogs!" Ash tried to get out of Misty's grip, but to no avail.

"No time to explain…we just gotta get to the Gym…and fast!" Misty kept running, pulling Ash behind her.

Misty pulled Ash all the way to the front doors of Cerulean Gym. They stopped in front of the building with the huge statue of a Dewgong on the roof. Ash ripped himself loose of Misty's grip and glared ferociously at her.

"So…what's this about huh Misty?" Ash fixed his glare firmly on Misty.

Misty looked around her for any signs of The Pokemon Inspection Agency. When she didn't see any sign of such a thing; she breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew we made it…"

Ash frowned at Misty and raised a brow. "What are ya talking about? Made it to what…"

Misty turned to Ash. "Well you see ther-…"

Misty was cut off by a loud roar coming from inside the Gym. They all jerked their heads towards the inside of the Gym.

"What was that!" Misty stared wide-eyed into the Gym.

"I don't know but I'm gonna find out!" Ash exclaimed as he ran in through the doors with Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

"Wait up you guys!" Misty yelled as she darted after them.

Misty sprinted through the corridors of her Gym, hoping to catch up with Ash. She was now running next to the aquarium. She noticed the usually calm water was pretty rough and splashing around above the water's surface.

Misty was so caught up by the unsettled water that she ran right into Ash's back. Misty looked up groggily, only to find Ash still standing, appearing not to have moved an inch.

"A-Ash…what's wrong?" Misty asked nervously.

Ash pointed in front of him. Misty cocked her head to the side to get a better view in front of Ash. She saw Pikachu standing protectively in front of Ash with sparks coming from his red cheeks. She looked beyond Pikachu and her eyes grew wide as she realized what the problem was with the water and with Ash: In front of them in the water…was a Gyarados!

Misty visibly flinched and jumped behind Ash's back.

Peeking over his shoulder, Misty looked wide-eyed at the huge serpent-like pokemon. "Ash…what's that Gyarados doing in here!"

Ash turned around to Misty. "How should I know? This is YOUR Gym so you tell me!"

Ash turned back to the raging pokemon. He looked around and noticed a few people standing at the side of the pool, looking on.

Ash grabbed Misty by the arm and ran off towards the people. "Come on Misty let's find out what's going on."

Ash and Misty stopped in front of the group of people. Upon closer inspection; Ash and Misty noticed that group consisted of three young boys and a Nurse Joy.

"Nurse Joy! What's going on here?" Ash asked Nurse Joy, who wasn't in her usual nurse outfit. Instead she wore a white t-shirt with a pink jacket and purple jeans and she didn't wear her nurse hat. Ash didn't pay much attention to this however, thinking it was just her casual wear.

"Thi-"Nurse Joy was cut off by one of the three guys standing beside her.

"You've gotta help our friend! He's being chased around the pool by that Gyarados!" The short, fattish member of the three boys yelled at Ash.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu looked towards the pool and sure enough, there was a boy swimming around in the pool followed by the Gyarados.

"But how did the Gyarados get in here in the first place…" Misty wondered out loud.

This time the taller boy stepped up to answer. "Well this Gyarados was actually one of the Magikarp that belongs to the Cerulean Gym which evolved and it has been in an endless rage ever since."

Nurse Joy finally stepped forward. "Yes it is true. Gyarados is in an endless agitation loop. Maybe you two can think of something?" she said, gesturing to Ash and Misty.

Misty placed her hand on her chin and started thinking of a way to get Gyarados under control. Ash was also giving it some thought, but he was more amused with the boy being chased around in the pool.

"Even though this is no laughing matter, you've gotta admit that's kinda funny, ey Pikachu?" Ash said, glancing down at his pokemon.

Pikachu stood back and waved his little arms frantically in front of him, showing that he did not want to get involved with Ash's little joke.

Ash frowned at Pikachu. "What's wrong Pik-WHOOAA! " Ash was cut off by Misty who grabbed him by the collar and shook him around.

"THIS IS NO TIME FOR MAKING JOKES ASH KETCHUM!" Misty swung Ash around by the color and let him go, causing the young trainer to fly into the wall.

Ash slid down the wall and landed with a thud, which caused a few pokeballs from the rack they were stacked in to fall and bounce off his head.

Seeing this; an idea hit Misty right in the head. One of the pokeballs rolled over to her feet. She bent down and picked it up. She had a big smile on her face by now.

"I've got it you guys! Since Gyarados is one of the Gym's pokemon; I'll just call it back into its pokeball! Wow Ash; I guess your thick head came in handy after all…" Misty smirked with a triumphant look on her face.

"Glad I could help…" Ash exclaimed. His eyes were replaced with swirly circles and he had a goofy, dull look on his face as he laid there, his body twitching every now-and-then.

"I'm afraid that your plan will not work Misty…" Nurse Joy spoke up.

Misty turned to her. "Why won't it work Nurse Joy?" Misty frowned at Nurse Joy.

"Gyarados will not return to its pokeball because it is so distressed, so I suggest we start thinking of something else…" Nurse Joy concluded.

"Help me!" the boy swimming around in the pool called out in distress.

"Well we've gotta think of something to help that kid!" Ash said as he retracted a pokeball from his belt. "Totodile I choose you!" Ash yelled as he threw the pokeball.

In a flash of a brilliant white light; Ash's crocodile-like pokemon appeared.

"Toto-dile" Totodile exclaimed. "Totototo-dile" Totodile danced around on the spot it was standing.

"Hey that's good idea Ash! I choose you, Politoad!" Misty was about to toss her trusty frog-like pokemon's pokeball when a white light flashed from her waist, revealing her clumsy Psyduck, who kind of dived into the water.

"Psyduck wait you can't swim!" Misty hurried to the side of the pool.

"Psy-jy-jy-jy" Psyduck splashed around, causing Misty to face palm and Ash to giggle half-heartedly.

Gyarados noticed the new disturbance in the pool and quickly changed course towards poor unsuspecting Psyduck.

"Psyduck look out for Gyarados!" Misty yelled from the side of the pool to it.

"Psy" Psyduck looked behind him, but it was too late. Gyarados made impact with Psyduck, sending it flying straight into the boy that was still in the water who now looked on at the scene happening in front of him.

"Uh – oh…" was all the boy could mumble out before Psyduck collided with him.

The boy and Psyduck landed with a thud onto the floor in front of the group of spectators.

"Psy" Psyduck sat up, held its head and tilted it to the side, expressionless.

"Toto – dile" Totodile danced happily at the sigh unfolding in front of it.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu laughed half-heartedly while Pikachu shook his head. Nurse Joy giggled and the three boys went over to their fallen friend.

They picked him up and started walking towards the exit…until they were stopped by Misty.

"Where are you guys going?" Misty tapped her foot impatiently with her arms crossed, glaring at the boys.

The boys gulped simultaneously and turned towards Misty.

"Well uh…" the short fat one stumbled.

"Spit it out!" Misty exclaimed violently.

The boys cringed under Misty's glare. "You see…" the taller but thin boy spoke up."We are the local chapter of The Glorious Waterflowers from Cerulean City's fan club. Your sisters put us in charge of the Gym until you returned, which happens to be now…and may I just say that although you aren't nearly as pretty as your sisters, you are almost there."

Misty sighed at the remark while Ash unknowingly growled at it and glared at the boy.

Everyone turned to Ash. He snapped out of his rage and quickly turned his gaze to the floor.

'_Man, what's gotten into me…why did I get so upset over something like that? I just felt so angry when he said that to Misty…I hate it when someone else makes fun of her like that besides me of course!'_ Ash clenched his fists and bit down on his teeth.

"Ash, are you okay?" Misty looked at Ash with a frown on her face.

Ash jerked his head up towards Misty. Misty smiled at him and nodded, which made Ash smirk.

"Yeah Misty, I'm just fine." Ash nodded.

The four boys were one foot out of the front door by the time Ash and Misty turned their attention back to them.

"And where do you think you're going?" Misty glared at the four boys.

"Since you're back, we are no longer needed here…so uhm goodbye and goodluck!" the short fat boy said.

With that said; the four boys disappeared in a flash of light, leaving a trail dust behind them. Misty, Ash, Pikachu and Nurse Joy all sweat-dropped while Psyduck looked on with its head tilted to the side and Totodile dancing happily.

Gyarados roared in anger, causing everyone to turn to it. Pikachu and Totodile jumped in front of the humans protectively.

"We've gotta stop it you guys! Or else it will wreck the Gym!" Misty looked on worriedly.

"But Misty our pokemon isn't a match for that Gyarados!" Ash stood forward and looked at her.

"I'm afraid your friend is right Misty…that Gyarados is just too strong…you'll have to think of another way." Nurse Joy pronounced.

"It's too angry to contain…I guess we'll have to put in a cage until we can get it under control…" Misty exclaimed with a forlorn look on her face.

Ash and Nurse Joy reluctantly nodded and they headed to the front lobby, Totodile and Pikachu following while Gyarados continued thrashing in the pool…

**Please rate and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well thanks for the two reviews.**

**Yes, Pikachu's Thunderbolt…I doubt that it would have inflicted that much damage if you look at the situation anime-wise. So I went with that…**

**I hope all of you can read easier now…I tried to split up the paragraphs so let me know if it's okay.**

**Enjoy**

**I do not own Pokemon or any characters or events depicted, this is solely fanmade.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 8: Sacrifice:**

Ash, Misty and Nurse Joy were sitting in the living room area of the Gym having some refreshments. Pikachu and Totodile were playing a game of tag. Misty smiled warmly at the sight. Her thoughts then turned to Gyarados, who was now bound and trapped in a cage on the bottom of the pool.

Ash noticed Misty's expression change to one of sadness. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder which caused her to startle and turn to him. Ash smiled sincerely at her and gave her shoulder a squeeze as if saying that everything will be fine.

Misty smiled and nodded back at him in appreciation. Ash turned his attention to a sandwich however and started devouring it immediately upon picking it up off the plate. Misty sighed while Nurse Joy sweat-dropped. The pokemon continued playing their game of tag.

"So Ash, you've recently participated in The Silver Conference?" Nurse joy was busy making small talk with the two trainers.

"Yeah I managed to get to the Top 8…" Ash nodded and looked over at Misty, who seemed to be deep in thought.

"Misty?" Ash nudged her shoulder, causing her to jerk her head towards him.

"Huh? Oh hey Ash…" Misty smiled half-heartedly at the raven-haired trainer.

"You okay Misty?" Ash looked at her with a sad expression.

Misty slowly nodded. "Yeah…it's just I don't understand it…We never did anything to harm the Magikarp here at the Gym, so I don't get why this Gyarados is in such a bad mood…"

Nurse Joy and Ash listened intently with solemn expressions on their face. Pikachu and Totodile were both exhausted and they were napping peacefully by their master's feet.

Misty stared forlornly at her feet. "My sisters and I always performed shows with all the Magikarp and they were never vicious towards anyone of us or even our pokemon…" Misty's eyes grew wide as an idea struck her.

Misty jumped up from the couch. "I've got it!" she exclaimed as she almost ran Ash over as she darted up to her room.

Ash and Nurse Joy watched as she disappeared and then sweat-dropped. Pikachu and Totodile awoke from the ruckus. Pikachu climbed onto Ash's shoulder while Totodile happily danced on the spot for Nurse Joy, whose attention was now drawn to it.

Ash and Nurse Joy along with Pikachu and Totodile were now in the pool room. Ash was kneeling over the side of the pool and looked down to see Gyarados at the bottom. Pikachu was imitating Ash and also peeked down. Totodile was dancing for Nurse Joy, who in return looked very intrigued and clapped hands for the little pokemon.

"Hmmm, I really feel sorry for Gyarados Pikachu…I wish there was some way that we could help it calm down." Ash stated with sadness evident in his eyes.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu added with a grim expression.

Just then Misty walked into the pool room. Nurse Joy was the first to notice her…and of course her choice of clothing.

"Oh my…Misty…" was all the shocked Nurse Joy could stutter out.

Totodile did not really bother itself about Misty and continued dancing happily.

Ash immediately spun around to confront Misty about her earlier departure. "Hey Misty where'd you run…off…to…" Ash's sentence came out slower and slower near the end as he caught a glimpse of Misty.

In the doorway stood Misty, wearing light blue pants with a star on the side resembling a mermaid's tale. With it she wore a pink bra designed like sea shells and a necklace decorated with pink pearls and similar pearls on the braids in her hair. She also wore extensions that made her hair look longer as it cascaded elegantly down her back. To be honest, in Ash's eyes, she was absolutely gorgeous right now.

Ash's eyes were now fixed on Misty and his cheeks had pinkish stripes over them. "Uhh…I…" was all he could mutter out.

'_WOW…'_ is all that drifted through Ash's mind as he stared at her, his shoulders slumped slightly forward, as if he would collapse any second. To be honest, this was the second time that Ash had seen her wear this outfit, but unlike now, he did not pay this much attention to how she looked in it the last time. But it was really hard to ignore, and since Ash has gotten a bit older, he started noticing things. And right now he noticed that Misty was HOT. He shook his head vigorously a few times to snap out of it, but that only ended up with him staring at her again.

Misty tilted her head at Ash, who was looking pretty ridiculous right now as he gawked at her. "Uhm Ash…you okay? You're kinda freaking me out…"

Ash snapped out of his staring and then realized that he probably looked like a bumbling fool right now. "Uhh…" Ash began, but he soon found himself staring at Misty in awe again. "I uh…what are you doing in that thing anyway!" Ash suddenly recovered, hoping to change the topic to get out of his current predicament.

Misty glared at Ash, making him shrink on the spot. He did not want to argue with her while she was dressed so…wonderful? "For your information, this is part of my plan to get Gyarados to calm down, so there!"

Ash grunted and turned away, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. Actually he did all this to avoid staring at Misty, which causes him to look around quickly with a blush on his cheeks.

Misty shrugged Ash's unusual behavior off as hunger. Nurse Joy stepped up to Misty and examined her with a skeptical eye.

"So Misty, what exactly IS your plan?" Nurse Joy tried to inquire.

"Well we always performed underwater ballets with the Magikarp and all the other pokemon in the Gym. So maybe if we can recreate that special moment and memory, the Gyarados might calm down!" Misty exclaimed excited.

Nurse joy nodded. "Well Misty, let's see if it will work then."

Ash was now facing Misty, but still tried to direct his gaze anywhere else. Pikachu was looking at Ash with a confused look on his face, wondering what is wrong with his master.

Misty gulped and started shaking like a leaf because of nervousness. Ash noticed this and pushing his hormones aside for a moment stepped up.

"What's wrong Misty?" Ash inquired as he looked on at her trembling figure.

Misty looked up at him and smiled nervously. "Well you see…" she started. "When I was just a little baby girl, I once crawled up into a Gyarados' mouth and almost got eaten. I've been scared of them ever since…" Misty trembled at the memory.

Ash looked sympathetically at Misty and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry Misty…everything will be fine. Besides, I'm here to protect ya." Ash puffed his chest out to emphasize his statement.

Misty sighed at Ash's incompetence. _'Anyway…I've got to get over my fear in order to obtain and fulfill my obligations toward the Gym…So here goes nothing…'_

Misty climbed up the ladder and onto the diving board. She walked up to the edge and looked down on the pool. Gulping loudly, Misty gathered her courage and dived gracefully into the pool.

Ash and Nurse Joy stood by the edge of the pool and looked on. Pikachu was still perched on Ash's shoulder while the ever hypergenic Totodile has stuck his head in the water to see what was going on below.

Below the water Misty was swimming down to the cage where Gyarados was kept in. The sight made Misty stare in guilt and sadness at the poor pokemon. A Seaking along with three Goldeen, a Dewgong, Starmie, Shellder and Horsea soon joined Misty in front of Gyarados. She nodded at the pokemon and she began swimming beautifully through the water with the pokemon all swimming around her with Horsea perched on her hand.

Gyarados looked on for a moment, seeming to remember, but it was soon forgotten as it let out a mighty roar of anger. Misty and the gym pokemon all startled at it. They all looked on as Gyarados created a whirlpool. Misty and the pokemon tried to get away, but it was in vain as they got caught in the giant whirlpool.

Ash and Nurse Joy watched in horror as Misty and her pokemon were swirled around in the whirlpool.

Ash clenched his teeth and bawled his fists. _'Misty…no…'_ Ash ran in the direction of the pool with all intend on diving in and playing hero.

Nurse Joy grabbed Ash by the arm and yanked him back. "Are you insane! You will get injured and most likely killed out there!" Nurse Joy exclaimed forcefully.

"Let me go! I gotta help Misty! Lemme go Nurse Joy!" Ash struggled to break free from Nurse Joy's grip.

Ash finally escaped, but stopped at the edge of the pool, looking to spot Misty in the whirlpool. Sure enough Misty was being ragged around in the current. Most of the Gym's pokemon escaped the current and were looking on in horror as their master was trapped. Ash looked closer and noticed that Horsea was underneath Misty, desperately trying to push her up to the surface.

Ash turned to Totodile, who was also looking on at the sight. "Totodile jump in there and help Horsea out!" Ash cried out.

Totodile nodded, then danced a few times in the air and finally plunged into the water. It swam into the center of the whirlpool to get to Misty and Horsea.

Horsea was struggling to say the least. Misty was at the point of passing out because of the lack of air. "Horseeea" it exclaimed. Horsea wasn't about to let its master drown, but it could really use some help right now because Misty's was at the point of passing out and was beginning to become dead weight.

Totodile swam up next to Horsea and Horsea immediately noticed the increase in speed up to the surface.

Totodile smiled happily at Horsea as they pushed Misty up.

Ash was bent over the edge of the pool waiting for them to resurface. As soon as he saw Misty's silhouette appear; he practically pushed his head and upper torso into the water to try and pull her up.

"Hold on Misty I've got ya!" Ash yelled as he pulled her onto the side of the pool. He let Misty's head rest on his lap.

Misty slowly opened her eyes and looked up into Ash's concerned face. "Wha…Ash?" Misty blinked a couple of times before remembering what was going on.

'_Gyarados…water…whirls…!'_ Misty's eyes shot open and she sat up. "We've gotta stop Gyarados!"

Misty was attempting to get up, but Ash folded his arms around her and held her down. "Misty calm down, you've gotta relax a bit 'kay?"

Misty turned to Ash and then slowly nodded as she breathed in the wonderful air which eluded her lungs down below.

Ash stroked some of Misty's wet hair out of her face, which of course, caused both of them to blush at each other.

Misty smiled nervously at Ash and mumbled thanks under her breath. Ash looked at her and noticed her wet mermaid costume clinging to her fragile body, causing him to look away in embarrassment.

He noticed Nurse Joy returning all the pokemon that were hovering in the pool to their respective pokeballs. He returned his gaze to Misty, who was slowly getting up off him. He followed her and brushed himself off.

Ash turned his gaze to Misty, who much to his horror was busy removing her mermaid tail.

"Misty wait you can't just undress he-"Ash was cut off when he noticed, much to his relief, that Misty wore her bikini bottoms below the mermaid-like costume, but now Misty's slender legs caught his attention.

Misty threw the costume aside and removed the extensions in her hair. She tied her hair in the familiar pony tail on the side of her head. "Ahhh…much better." She exclaimed, now feeling more comfortable and ready for action. "Well that plan completely backfired on us…"

The gang heard some wolf whistles coming from the entrance to the pool room. Ash, Misty and Nurse Joy all turned towards the doors, where they found three boys standing in the doorway.

"At what are you guys whistling at! And what do you want here!" Misty yelled angrily at the trio, suddenly becoming a bit more self-conscious about her attire.

The three boys laughed and looked at Misty, again wolf whistling at her.

Ash growled viciously at them, causing the three boys to smirk at him.

"Now now, no need to be jealous kid." The shortest one of the three said to Ash, still smirking.

Ash growled again and balled his fist and pointed it in the air to the boy. "Who says I'm jealous! And who are you guys!"

The shortest member of the trio once again smirked. All three of them wore male kimonos. "Allow us to introduce ourselves…"

With that said; the shortest member struck a karate pose. "I am Kim!"

The slightly taller but fatter boy then also struck a pose next to Kim. "And I am Kai!"

The third boy, who was taller but skinnier than then Kim then also struck a pose. "I am Kail!"

"And together…we are…The Invincible Pokemon Brothers!" the three of them exclaimed simultaneously.

Ash, Misty, Nurse Joy and Pikachu all sweat-dropped while Totodile danced happily at the commotion.

"Uhhhh right…" Ash began. "Now what do you want!"

"Well…first we were just planning on sabotaging the Gym's PIA test…but now…" Kim began, gesturing towards Misty. "We were thinking of maybe asking this beauty out on a date" The three boys began laughing.

"YOU WERE GOING TO DO WHAT!" Misty and Ash unknowingly exclaimed simultaneously, at the second comment and not the first.

Kim snickered. "Now now kid, like I said before…don't be jealous."

"I am not jealous!" Ash yelled. He then turned to Misty, turned his back on her and then blushed.

Misty watched Ash with her head tilted to the side because of his flamboyant behavior towards this subject. The information of earlier then sprang to mind. Turning to the trio of boys she glared. "You were planning on sabotaging my inspection!" Misty yelled angrily at the boys.

Ash recovered from his embarrassment and also turned his anger to the boys. "What's the big idea! You can't just waltz in here and try to ruin everything for Misty!"

The three boys smirked at the remarks. "Oh no…we're not here to only sabotage the Gym's inspection…we're here to take over the Gym once you're fired!" Kim pronounced.

Nurse Joy, Ash and Misty all gasped at hearing the Brothers' real plot.

"Over my dead body you are!" Misty retorted back viciously.

The boys laughed at Misty's brave show of anger, and then each removed a pokeball from their belts.

There was now a crowd starting to come into the Gym and sitting down on the seats on opposite sides of the pool.

"What's with all the people?" Ash wondered out loud as he glanced around the pool.

This time Kai stood forward. "We told all the people of Cerulean City about your little problem…" he motioned to the pool. "And they all came to watch the dawn of a new era…the dawn of The Invincible Pokemon Brothers as the new gym leaders of the Cerulean Gym!"

"And just how do you think you're going to accomplish that? It's not like you can just disown Misty of the Gym." Ash stepped up and smirked, happy with his argument.

"That is why we challenge Misty, current gym leader of the Cerulean Gym, to a battle for the title of leader of this Gym!" Kim spoke up.

"Unless of course, she is too scared of losing easily in front of all these people…" Kai added.

"Pffff…" Ash snorted at the last remark. "Like Misty would fall for something like-"

"Fine…I accept your challenge." Misty pronounced determinedly.

Ash face faulted, with his legs twitching in the air. He recovered quickly though and was soon standing in front of Misty. "Are you crazy! Do you realize what's at stake here!" Ash exclaimed while swinging his arms wildly.

Misty barely noticed Ash as she was smirking confidently at the trio of boys. "Hush up Ash…I've got this covered no sweat."

Ash stared at her, unbelief evident in his eyes. _'Didn't she hear what I just said?'_

Sighing in defeat, Ash walked over to Misty's box from where she would be battling. The four boys from earlier have also returned in the meantime and the boy that was rescued out of the water was now an announcer.

"Alright ladies and gentleman…this battle will determine the new gym leader or gym leaders of this Gym! The match will be between current the gym leader Misty Waterflower! And the challenging team which consists of Kim, Kai and Kail: The Invincible Pokemon Brothers!"

The crowd roared and booed for their respective sides. A few boys in the crowd wolf whistled towards Misty, who was still wearing her bikini pieces while some people screamed in excitement.

"And now…the judge of this battle, please give a warm welcome to our very own…Nurse Joy!" the boy yelled into the microphone.

The crowd erupted into applause as Nurse Joy smiled sheepishly and waved to the crowd.

On Misty's side of the field, Pikachu, Psyduck, Totodile and Ash sat on the bench while Kim, Kai and Kail were all standing in the battle box. The three pokemon all wore red gowns and sported white fans with red P's on them.

"Pikachu, Pikachu, Pika-Pika-Pika Chu!" Pikachu cheered Misty on as he made gestures with the fans in his paws.

Totodile was dancing yet again while Psyduck stared in front of him, no emotion in his eyes with his head tilted to the side.

"The gym leader chooses her pokemon first!" Nurse Joy exclaimed.

"Alright Staryu let's go!" Misty yelled as she threw Staryu's pokeball.

The starfish pokemon erupted from its ball as it landed on one of the platforms on the battlefield. "Hyah" it pronounced with its battle cry.

"I choose Hitmonchan!" Kim yelled as he threw the punchy pokemon's ball in the air.

Hitmonchan appeared out of its pokeball, but sadly there wasn't any solid surface beneath it, and so it fell into the water. "Hitmonchaaaan" Hitmonchan yelled as it thrashed around in the water.

"Oh no folks…it looks like Hitmonchan can't swim!" the commentator boy exclaimed.

The crowd gasped as they looked on. Ash and Misty looked on worriedly while the Pokemon Brothers were just watching on.

"Quick Staryu jump in and save Hitmonchan!" Misty ordered frantically.

"Hyah" Staryu obeyed and dove in after the drowning Hitmonchan.

Staryu came close to Hitmonchan and was about to help it swim out, when…"Now Hitmonchan!" Kim yelled to his pokemon.

Hitmonchan stopped thrashing around and suddenly punched Staryu, a one-hit KO because of the unexpected attack.

The crowd booed, Nurse Joy glared at the Pokemon Brothers, who were now dancing around celebrating.

"Hey that's not fair! You guys faked the drowning to trick us!" Misty yelled. She was now furious because of her pokemon being taken advantage of like that.

"I agree…Faint Attack is illegal in this battle and therefore I declare Misty's Staryu the winner of this round!" Nurse Joy stated, anger seeping from her voice because of the trainer's dirty tactics towards the poor Staryu.

"Return Staryu." Misty returned Staryu to its pokeball. "I'm sorry about this Staryu…" Misty clipped the pokeball back onto her waist and retracted another one. "Okay Corsola…I choose you!" Misty yelled again as she threw the pokeball.

Corsola appeared in the water. "Corsola" it exclaimed happily.

Kim recalled Hitmonchan and then threw another pokeball. "Tentacruel let's go!" he yelled as the pokeball popped open in the air.

"Tentacruel" exclaimed the giant jellyfish pokemon upon its release.

"Let the second round begin!" Nurse Joy yelled, signaling the start if the battle.

"Okay Tentacruel let's start this off with Bubblebeam!" Kim ordered.

Tentacruel obeyed and fired hundreds of little white bubbles at Corsola, which injured the little coral pokemon massively.

"Corsola…are you okay!" Misty yelled worriedly at her pokemon. "Quick Corsola Recover!"

Corsola obeyed and was soon enveloped in a bright white light as Recover's effect took over. The light dissipated and Corsola looked good as new.

"Great job Corsola! Now use Tackle on Tentacruel!" Misty ordered her trusty pokemon.

Corsola nodded and swam towards Tentacruel at full speed.

"Not so fast! Kai, Kail; do it…now!" Kim yelled at his brothers, who both appeared behind him with pokeballs in their hands.

"Right!" both of them said simultaneously as they threw the pokeballs.

Two more Tentacruel appeared out of the pokeballs and were headed straight for Corsola. The one Tentacruel bashed into the unsuspecting Corsola from above and the other then rammed Corsola from the side, slamming it into a rock near the cage in which Gyarados was kept in.

Misty, Ash and Nurse Joy all gasped as they looked on. The Invincible Pokemon Brothers just stood with their arms crossed, smirking.

"You three are violating the rules!" Nurse Joy yelled angrily at the three boys.

"No we are not! The challenge that was issued applied for the Invincible Pokemon Brothers, not just for me." Kim replied, denying the accusation.

"You're just too chicken to fight Misty by yourself!" Ash got his share in the argument. For some reason he was still furious with those three boys because of their remarks towards Misty earlier and he just couldn't get it out of his mind.

"You'll pay that kid! Or should I say your little girlfriend's POKEMON will pay for that! Tentacruel: All of you use Poison Sting on that Corsola!" Kim retaliated with a vicious smirk on his face.

The Tentacruel all directed their attacks at Corsola who was still badly hurt. The needles collided with Corsola, who was now greatly injured.

"No…Corsola!" Misty yelled in shock. "Hang on I'm coming!" Misty ran towards the water and dove in towards her Corsola.

"Misty!" Ash yelled after his best friend. He ran after Misty and was about to jump in until Nurse Joy stepped in his way.

'Whoaaaa…!" Ash yelled as he tried to hit the brakes before slamming into Nurse Joy. Luckily he stopped in time and fell harmlessly in front of her feet.

"Nurse Joy? What's da big idea! I've gotta go help Misty!" Ash yelled as he tried to get by Nurse Joy, but she would have none of it.

"Ash wait…just stay put Misty can take care of herself okay?" Nurse Joy said sternly to Ash.

Ash hesitated for a few moments before he hanging his shoulders in defeat and nodding slowly. He walked over to the side of the pool and watched as Misty made her way over to Corsola.

Nurse Joy turned to the three brothers. "And as for you three…you are disqualified from this battle and banned from all official Pokemon matches!" Nurse Joy was livid. She had never in all her life been so ashamed of pokemon trainers. These three boys gave pokemon trainers everywhere a bad name and she will make sure that they never get the chance to do such a thing ever again.

"Banned! You can't do that!" Kim yelled at Nurse Joy.

"I can and I did…you are dirty pokemon trainers who disobey the rules and I will not allow you to sour future competitions and battles for anyone else!" Nurse Joy spat back.

"So you want to be that way? Tentacruel! All of you attack that Gyarados with your Poison Sting!" Kim ordered the Tentacruel.

"Wait what!" Ash yelled across the pool at the three brothers.

The Tentacruel directed their attacks to Gyarados who was defenseless inside of the cage it was kept in, so it took the attacks head on.

Misty watched on as Gyarados got hit by the attacks and roar in agony. _'No…Gyarados!'_ Misty checked on Corsola to make sure it was okay and ordered it to use Recover and go back up.

Misty swam over to Gyarados' cage and, without thinking her next move through; she swam right in front of the poison needles that were meant for Gyarados, taking the attacks head on.

Misty let out a scream as the poison started to weaken her and making small cuts on her bare skin. This caused her to lose a lot more air and she soon found herself close to the point of passing out.

Ash witnessed the whole scene from above and when he noticed Misty go limp and stop screaming, he lost it…

'_They hurt her…THEY HURT HER!'_ Ash let out a screamed of rage as he got up to his feet.

Nurse Joy, anticipating what was coming next, quickly got a hold of his shoulder. "No Ash! We can't lose you down there too!"

Ash turned his gaze to Nurse Joy. This caused her to stutter backwards. The look in his eyes, they were filled with rage and anger.

"Let go of me…I'm going and you will not stop me." Ash told Nurse Joy in an uncomfortably calm voice as he shook himself loose out of her grip.

Nurse Joy looked at him with a worried expression.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu walked closer to Ash, uncertainty in his voice.

"You stay here and protect Nurse Joy Pikachu…I'm gonna get Misty." Ash told Pikachu without looking at him.

Ash gave one last look up at the three brothers and then dove in…

Nurse Joy and Pikachu looked on as he disappeared into the water. Totodile also joined them, but his happy-go-lucky way of looking at life was replaced by a look of fear and worry.

Ash swam down to where Misty was floating limply. He saw the Tentacruel unleash another wave of Poison Sting on her. His eyes grew wide and he did the most sensible thing that came to mind…he swam in front of her, folding his arms around her with his back facing the incoming attacks.

Ash screamed out in pain as the needles hit his back. He tried to help Misty up to the surface, but they didn't cover much ground. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed one of the Tentacruel coming closer to them.

His eyes grew wide. _'Oh no…'_ was the last thing running through his mind as the Tentacruel was on him.

From there everything went slow motion for Ash. He looked at his surroundings. In front of him, in his arms, was Misty who was unconscious. Ash smiled at the sight of her. She looked so beautiful in his eyes right now. He directed his gaze to behind her, where Gyarados' cage was with Gyarados still trapped inside. It had picked up a bit of damage, but not nearly as much as Misty.

His attention then turned to the oncoming Tentacruel again. Doing the only thing he thought he could in that short period of time, he pushed Misty out of the danger of being slammed by the Tentacruel and in return he got rammed into the side of Gyarados' cage, knocking the wind out of him.

Ash gasped for air as he was thrown into the cage, but sadly no air came to him. He winced and looked around only to spot Misty floating limply a few feet to his right.

'_Misty…no.'_ Ash swam over to her. _'She's still breathing!'_ Ash grabbed hold of her and started swimming towards the surface.

Pikachu, Nurse Joy and Totodile were standing over the edge of the pool, hoping to see the two children. Nurse Joy had already returned all of the Gym's pokemon for safety reasons, save for Gyarados of course.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu's ears were drooped as he searched for any sign of his master.

Ash was really having hard time getting to the surface. He was fatigued and injured and Misty was also dead weight in his arms. But he was making ground and he could see light flickering above them.

As they reached the surface, Ash felt something wrap around his ankle. _'Oh no…'_

Ash was pulled down again. He looked down and saw that one of the Tentacruel had grabbed onto his ankle. He looked at Misty in his arms and then back up at the surface.

Ash started swimming up again and got Misty above the water, but before he could get himself out of the water, the Tentacruel yanked on his foot again, pulling him down. He looked up in horror at Misty.

'_No! She won't make it if she gets pulled down again!'_ Ash gave Misty a big push towards the edge of the pool, causing her to lie on top of the edge.

"Pikachupi" Pikachu exclaimed as they saw Misty pop up under the water and get pushed up onto the edge.

Nurse Joy pulled Misty out of the water to safety. "She's still breathing! Thank goodness…but where is Ash!" Nurse scurried over to the edge again. What she saw made her gasp in horror.

Pikachu also peeked over the edge and his eyes stretched wide in fear. In the water they saw Ash being pulled down deeper into the water. "Pikapi" Pikachu attempted to dive in, but Nurse Joy grabbed hold of him.

"No Pikachu it's too dangerous!" Nurse Joy yelled as Pikachu tried to squirm out of her arms.

Pikachu stopped squirming and looked on as his master disappeared into the depths of the water…

**I feel like the latter part of this chapter was badly written. It was kind of hard to make all the changes and everything gel. Tell me what you guys think.**

**Please R&R!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow, it's been a long time since I've last updated I know. I'm sorry but its exams and I must study so I could not work on this chapter as often as I would have.**

**To be honest; I only had about 650 words two days ago so I worked really hard these past two days.**

**Also I have been thinking about posting two chapters at a time, because I know how it feels to wait so long only to read one chapter and then wait another period. So you guys choose.**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Chapter 9: To save a life:**

Misty slowly opened her eyes, but everything was a blurry and out of focus. She saw Pikachu and Nurse Joy's figures in front of her with their backs towards her. Her eyes felt very heavy and it caused her to close them once more, darkness engulfing her…

She opened her eyes again, but this time her eyes were starting to gain focus of her surroundings. Her eyes grew wide when reality struck her: She couldn't breathe…

She shot up like a rocket and started gasping for air as she was busy coughing out water. Once she could breathe normally again, she stood on her hands and knees observing her surroundings. In front of her were Pikachu, Nurse Joy and Totodile, who still appeared to be looking at something in the pool. She glanced further ahead and noticed the Invincible Pokemon Brothers on the other side of the pool and appeared to be smirking down at the pool.

Misty crawled over to where Pikachu was standing. She looked at him and moved a bit away when she saw his expression. He looked absolutely shattered. Swallowing her fear; Misty gently rubbed Pikachu's back. "…Pikachu?" she squeaked out.

Pikachu turned in shock to Misty and his expression brightened up immediately. "Pikachupi…!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped into Misty's waiting arms and nuzzled his cheek affectionately against hers.

Misty smiled warmly at Pikachu as she gently stroked his fur. "Oh Pikachu I'm so glad you're alright!" she sighed in relief, but then it hit her. "Pikachu…where's Ash?" Misty regretted saying those words the second it left her mouth, because the instant Pikachu heard it, his ears drooped down and his gaze turned towards the pool.

"Pikachu…?" Misty was now starting to get paranoid about the situation. She turned to Nurse Joy with desperation written all over her face. "Where's Ash you guys? Talk to me!" Misty yelled in panic.

"Misty…" Nurse Joy began, "Ash saved you…he gave up hi…"

"WHERE IS HE!" Misty interrupted Nurse Joy as anger and panic started building up inside of her.

Pikachu and Nurse Joy both turned towards the pool with grim expressions on their faces and they looked absolutely shattered.

Misty slowly approached the side of the pool in between Pikachu and Nurse Joy. She looked over the edge and turned her face to Nurse Joy. "D-Down there…is he down there?" Misty managed to squeak out.

Nurse Joy slowly nodded and looked down. "I'm sorry Misty but there is nothing we can do, it's too dan…"

Misty peeked over the edge and noticed three Tentacruel swimming around something. She could see a silhouette in the depths below as her heart sank. _'Ash…'_ Tears started forming in Misty's eyes, but she quickly shook her head to hold them back. _'No, I must be strong…for Ash!'_ Misty stood back up with her fists clenched tightly. She looked down into the water and then looked over her shoulder at Pikachu and Nurse Joy.

"Pikachupi…pika pika… (Misty…I know what you're thinking…)" Pikachu protested as he shook his head in disapproval.

Misty looked down at the worried mouse and simply smiled. "Don't worry pal…I'll be 'kay." She then turned to Totodile. "So…you gonna help me?" she asked the little crocodile.

Totodile jumped up and danced around in the air to signal its approval and confirmation.

Misty nodded and smirked as she turned towards the water again. "Then let's go save Ash!" Misty yelled triumphantly as she started marching towards the water.

"Toto Totodile!" Totodile exclaimed as it followed Misty towards the pool.

Nurse Joy stepped in between the water and Misty with her arms spread out to her sides. "Misty I am not allowing you to go near that pool!" she ordered as she grabbed hold of Misty's shoulders.

Misty started wiggling around in Nurse Joy's grip as she tried to get away. "Let me go! I have to go help! Let go of me!" Misty argued as she trashed around.

"Misty I will not! It is very dangerous and we cannot lose you too…" Nurse Joy said as she held on firmly onto Misty.

Misty stopped and her shoulders drooped and all the struggling came to a halt. Misty looked down at the ground. "Lose him…we can't lose him…I can't lose him…he's my friend…my b-best friend…no…" Misty stuttered out.

"Misty please look at me…" Nurse Joy said as she lifted Misty's head so she could look at her. To her surprise, Misty's eyes were filled with tears. "Misty, I…" Nurse Joy began.

"NO! I will not stand and watch as my best friend gets killed! And no one will stand in my way! So…let me…go!" Misty yelled as she broke away from Nurse Joy's grip and started running. "Come on Totodile!" she yelled as she dived into the water.

Totodile followed her into the water and they swam deeper down, towards Ash.

"Misty! No…" Nurse Joy said barely above a whisper as she looked on.

"Pikachupi…" Pikachu muttered with his ears drooped as he stood next to Nurse Joy…

Misty and Totodile swam deeper down and she could see the silhouette getting more form and color. _'That must be Ash! ',_ Misty thought excitedly. But her excitement soon faded when she noticed the three Tentacruel hovering around Ash's limp body. _'Oh no…it's gonna be hard to get to Ash with those three Tentacruel around him…hmmmmm what to do…aha! I've got it!'_ Misty turned to Totodile and she started making weird signs and directions with her hands.

Sadly, Totodile did not understand and thought that Misty was dancing, so naturally it danced around with a big smile on its face.

Misty face palmed at Totodile's one track mindset and started explaining again, but slower so Totodile could understand.

Once Totodile received the message loud and clear, it happily nodded and swam towards the Tentacruel. Totodile reached the three Tentacruel and stopped in front of them. The Tentacruel all turned to it in confusion.

"Tenta…?" Kim's Tentacruel inquired as they looked on at Totodile, who was now dancing.

Totodile looked casually at the three menacing pokemon in front of it. Then Totodile used Scary Face on the three Tentacruel, which only resulted in a bunch of funny faces being made by Totodile.

"Tentacruel Tenta!" the three Tentacruel exclaimed out of annoyance because of being made fun at.

Totodile snickered at the Tentacruel and started swimming away when they started approaching him. Naturally they followed it, away from Ash.

'_Yes it worked!'_ Misty pumped her fist into the air (water) and looked on as Totodile led the trio of Tentacruel further away from Ash. _'Now's my chance…'_ And with that thought; Misty began making her way over to where Ash was floating in mid-air.

Meanwhile Totodile had made its way over to the other side of the pool, completely away from Ash, just as Misty asked of it. The Tentacruel were chasing it at full steam. Totodile stopped and turned to them and started making faces at them, which in turn only angered the Tentacruel further as they started making threatening gestures with their tentacles.

Totodile snickered and then fired a Bubble attack at the Tentacruel and dived down deeper into the depths of the water.

The Tentacruel were getting increasingly irritated by the happy-go-lucky little pokemon and dived down after it…

Meanwhile Misty had swum over to where Ash was floating…

Ash didn't look to well in Misty's eyes…He was floating motionless in the middle of nothing, barely breathing and she could tell that he was barely holding on. Misty gently placed her hand on his shoulder and ever so slightly shook him. But there wasn't any response…

Misty placed her other hand on his other shoulder and gave Ash a firm pull, but the only reaction was air bubbles coming out of Ash's slightly open mouth…

'_Come on Ash…wake up!'_ Misty's worry and frustration was growing by the second. She had to get Ash up to the surface…and fast! She swam around to behind Ash and folded her arms around Ash's body under his arms. But as she was about to start ascending up to the surface, a stream of white needles blocked her way. She narrowly managed to dodge the attack with Ash and herself intact. She turned towards the origin of the attack and to no one's surprise, the three Tentacruel were floating.

'_Oh no…where's Totodile! Oh please be okay…'_ Misty thought as she floated in front of the Tentacruel, watching them with a careful eye. Misty unconsciously held on tighter to Ash as she slowly started paddling her feet as she moved upwards inch-by-inch. _'Nice Tentacruel…stay riggght there…'_ Misty thought as she made a little silent prayer.

But sadly, her prayer was not answered; because sure enough Kim's Tentacruel let out a large 'cruel' as they came charging towards Misty at full speed.

'_Oh boy…'_ was what went through Misty's head as she hurriedly quickened her pace, but to be honest, Ash's dead weight was slowing her down dramatically, to such a degree that they weren't going to outswim the incoming Tentacruel.

Misty looked at the oncoming attack and then looked hesitantly at Ash. Knowing that he is a lot more vulnerable than her at the moment; Misty turned so Ash was facing away from the Tentacruel and her back to them. Ready to protect Ash; Misty closed her eyes, tightened her grip around Ash and braced herself for a whole lot of hurt.

But strangely not any immense pain or suffering followed. What did follow was a loud thud coming from behind Misty. Opening one eye and cautiously peeking over her shoulder, she found out precisely why nothing happened…

There floated Totodile between them and the Tentacruel. The leader of the three had what looked like a huge red bump on its forehead, which Misty could only have guessed was caused by a Headbutt from Totodile which intervened with their attack in the nick of time.

Seeing her chance for escape; Misty slowly started swimming up towards the surface again, which unfortunately did not go unnoticed by the Tentacruel because Kim's Tentacruel started making his way to them. But Totodile intervened once again with a powerful Headbutt that sent the Jellyfish pokemon flying backwards.

Misty inwardly thanked Totodile for the save as she picked up the pace towards the surface with Ash in toll.

The three Tentacruel had decided in the meantime that they had had enough of the pestering little Big Jaw pokemon and attacked it simultaneously from different angles. Poor Totodile really had it rough this time, but it had to protect its master at all costs. Totodile used a Slash attack on the Tentacruel coming from the left, but this caused it to become easy prey for the other two Tentacruel. Totodile retaliated by firing a Water Gun at nothing in particular that acted as a jet and allowed Totodile to get away unscathed out between the two Tentacruel.

But although this tactic worked, it also left Totodile completely open and defenseless against the third Tentacruel, who has recovered from the earlier Headbutt. It hit the unsuspecting Totodile with one of its tentacles from behind which resulted in Totodile being temporarily paralyzed. That was more than enough time for the other two Tentacruel to get their three cents in. They both fired Poison Sting attacks at the defenseless Totodile, causing serious damage. As if that wasn't enough; the third Tentacruel hit the visibly injured Totodile with a vicious Hydro Pump at close range, effectively sending Totodile spiraling up towards the surface, fainted.

Totodile splashed out of the water and landed with a thud on the floor…behind Pikachu and Nurse Joy.

"Pipika…!" Pikachu exclaimed as he ran towards his fallen friend. He held Totodile's upper body up in his paws, only to see Totodile completely knocked out and seriously hurt. Static started sparkling from Pikachu's cheeks. He has had enough. First these jerks took his master and best friend away from him, then his master's best friend, and now a fellow companion and partner. They were going to get it now.

Pikachu started making his way over to the edge of the pool and he jumped up into the air and dived down towards the water, until Nurse Joy caught him in mid-air.

"No Pikachu…you can't go in there!" Nurse Joy yelled as she held on to the squirming mouse. "I'm sorry to say it, but you'll only do more damage than be of any help down there!"

Pikachu stopped and turned to face Nurse Joy, waiting for an elaboration.

"One shock down there and you will seriously hurt everything and everyone, including Misty and Ash." Nurse Joy explained.

Pikachu listened intently and then his ears drooped. "Pikapi…Pikachupi…" he stated sadly as he turned back to the water…

[MEANWHILE…]

Misty had made good ground in her swim to the surface. _'Yes…we might make it out of this at all.'_ She smiled inwardly at the thought of this, but that smile was soon replaced by horror as a wave of white poisonous needles narrowly missed them. She looked over her shoulder and sure enough the three Tentacruel were on their trail once more.

'_Ugh…I spoke too soon…'_ Misty thought as she hurriedly tried to pick up some pace, but it wasn't enough because the Tentacruel was soon all around them. They needed to get to the surface because her air was running up rapidly.

Misty saw an opening between two of the Tentacruel and went for it without hesitation, but she did not count on one of their tentacles grabbing on to her ankle…Misty started resisting and that was all the Tentacruel needed to jerk on Misty's ankle and they were soon finding themselves being dragged down back to the bottom by the Tentacruel. This caused Misty to yell and this drained the most of her remaining breath.

The Tentacruel swam to the bottom where Gyarados was still being kept in the cage and the one that was dragging Misty viciously slammed her into the wall of the cage.

Misty let out a painful, ear-piercing scream, which caught Gyarados' attention. It stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding in front of it.

Misty was now floating groggily, but never-the-less she still held on to Ash. She looked over to the Tentacruel and her eyes widened at what she saw…: The Tentacruel launched a triple Poison Sting attack…right at them.

Misty turned hesitantly towards Ash in her arms and then to Gyarados and then she realized…that they were defenseless!

She did the one thing she could think of to protect both Ash and Gyarados…she turned her back to the attack and spread her arms out defensively in front of them, thus taking the attack head-on.

Misty let out a weak cry as she started drifting in and out of consciousness. Gyarados looked and then everything went quiet around it. Misty was the one that took care of it when it was still a Magikarp. They always did underwater shows together and played and laughed whenever they had the chance and now, now she was hurt, in danger. Memories started going through its head and it now knew only one thing: It had to help; it had to save her…now!

Gyarados let out a mighty roar which caused the three Tentacruel to immediately halt their attack and turn their attention towards it. It fired a mighty Flamethrower directed at one of the steel pipe walls of the cage, which because of this happening underwater resulted in the fire and water mixing into red-hot steam which broke the pipes into thousands of tiny pieces, allowing Gyarados to escape from the cage.

The Tentacruel were taken back by the rage of this new enemy and slowly backed away.

Gyarados directed its attention at Misty and Ash. She was still holding on to Ash, but both of them were unconscious. Seeing this only angered Gyarados further and it then turned its attention to the three cowering Tentacruel. Anger evident in its eyes; Gyarados formed a powerful Hyper Beam from its mouth and fired it straight at the Tentacruel.

Pikachu and Nurse Joy noticed that the water began bubbling and suddenly a loud explosion caused the water to spew up and three figures flew out and landed on the opposite side of the pool, right onto the Invincible Pokemon Brothers.

Next Gyarados surface out of the water, with both Ash and Misty laying ontop of its head.

"Pikapi…Pikachupi!" Pikachu exclaimed as Gyarados laid them down gently on the floor as Nurse Joy and Pikachu ran up to them.

"Oh my goodness…" Nurse Joy said as she crouched down next to the unconscious children. "Ash…Misty?" Nurse Joy asked as she gently shook Misty's shoulders.

"Pikapi…?" Pikachu squeaked as he sat on Ash's stomach and poked Ash's cheek with his paw. Sadly he didn't recuperate any gestures whatsoever.

Misty on the other hand slowly started twitching her eyes and pretty soon opened them. "Uhhh…Nurse Joy…is that you?" Misty groggily asked as she slowly sat up.

Gyarados approached Misty and gently nudged her with the crest on its head, which caused Misty to giggle.

"So you are not angry anymore Gyarados?" She asked carefully.

Gyarados shook its head, which resulted in Misty throwing her arms around its head and laughing happily. After a while she let go of Gyarados and turned to Nurse Joy, who had a grim expression on her face.

"What's wrong Nurse Joy?" Misty asked hesitantly as got up onto her knees.

Nurse Joy sighed depressively and pointed to behind Misty. Misty frowned at her and then turned around. Her eyes grew substantially wide and her mouth fell open.

'_Ash…'_

Misty practically jumped over to Ash and started shaking him by the shoulders. "Wake up Ash…wake up!" Misty yelled.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu looked on as he also kept on poking Ash in order to get him to wake up.

Misty kept shaking him for a while and then turned to Nurse Joy with a desperate look on her face. "Nurse Joy what's wrong with him…why won't he wake up!" she yelled as she started shaking him again.

Nurse Joy only stood there and watched with a worried expression.

"Ash…Ash…ASH..." Misty's yelling continued and echoed through the gym…

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_Ash was lying on his back on the ground when he slowly started opening his eye, which felt very heavy. Ash sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Uhh…where am I…" he wondered out loud as he looked at his surroundings._

_He noticed that everything was black around him. "Hello?" Ash said and it echoed all around him. "Guess no-one's here…oh well…I might as well do some exploring."_

_And with that said, Ash started walking…_

"_Hmmm I wonder how I even got here…the last thing I remember is the Cerulean Gym…and water and…wait a second! Am I dead?" Ash started panicking. "No I can't be dead already! I still have to win the Pokemon League…and become a Master! I haven't even kissed a girl yet! How will I survive without food, and Mom's cooking! Whoaaaa what am I gonna do!"_

"_Relax Ash…you're not dead." A voice called out somewhere in this dark void._

"_Whaaa…who the heck is there…show yourself right now!" Ash yelled as he held his fist out defensively in front of him._

_A familiar looking silhouette started forming in front of Ash, which caused him to take a few steps towards it._

"_Wait a second…Professor Oak?" Ash said flabbergasted as he stepped closer._

_Indeed it was Professor Oak as the silhouette finished forming. "Why hello Ash…and as I said before…you're not dead, you're just sleeping…" the Professor stated as he started disappearing into the darkness._

"_Sleeping? Wait Professor! What do ya mean by sleeping?" Ash yelled as he ran after the image of the Professor which was disappearing in the distance. "No…I'm all alone again…"_

"_No way Ash…you're never alone…we're always here for you." Another voice called out from the darkness, with yet another silhouette forming in front of Ash._

"_Ritchie…is that you?" Ash called out as the silhouette finished taking form and sure enough, it was Ritchie that stood in front of Ash._

"_That's right Ash…you were never alone and chances are good that we will never let u fend everything off by yourself…" Ritchie stated as he gave a peace sign as he too disappeared in the distance._

"_Ritchie wait! Who is this "we" you're talking about? Ritchie please wait up!" Ash yelled as he chased in vain after Ritchie's disappearing form. "Will someone please tell me what the heck is going on here!" Ash yelled as he sunk onto his knees and hit the ground with his fist in frustration._

"_Ash Ketchum don't you dare use that kind of language!" A female voice exclaimed this time._

"_MOM…is that you?" Ash asked in shock as he looked on as the silhouette took the form of his mother._

"_Why yes it is sweety… don't sleep too long now, I don't want you to oversleep again." She told Ash as she too began to fade away in the darkness._

"_Momma no wait don't go!" Ash yelled as he chased after his mother's fading figure. Ash slumped down onto his knees once more. "Great…alone again…"_

"_I see you're still as dense as ever Ash…you haven't even been without for a full day and already you're suffering." A male voice called out again._

"_Brock…" Ash looked up and sure enough, Brock, his long-time friend, stood in front of him. "It is you!" Ash yelled and immediately stood up again._

"_Well yeah! Who did you expect big guy?" Brock laughed and crossed his arms. "Now listen Ash you can't give up just because of one little obstacle. You still have to live." Brock stated as he also started fading away back into the darkness._

"_Brock…how do I get out of this place? Brock…Brock!" Ash yelled as he tried to get to his friend, but it was in vain, Brock was gone._

_Ash fell to his knees and this time hit the ground repeatedly in anger._

"_Whoa Ash…dude you've got to calm down bro." another familiar voice called out of the darkness._

"_Wait a second…Harrison? What are you doing here?" Ash looked up at the trainer that narrowly defeated him in the Silver Conference._

"_Well I'm here to help everyone get you back up!" The image of the Hoenn-native laughed. "You didn't just think you could sleep forever, did you? Come on Ash, get up. Besides, you owe me a rematch because I know that there's no way you're ready to just give up after a match like that…" Harrison expressed confidently as he too faded away in darkness._

"_Oh no you don't, you're not getting away from me too!" Ash yelled as he gave chase, but suddenly another figure appeared before him which made him fall backwards._

"_So…Ashy-boy is giving up already hey? Typical." The figure's voice blurted out._

"_Gary…Gary!" Ash yelled in anger of his long-time rival's remark. "Just what do you mean by that! I never give up!" He retorted back._

"_Oh yeah…then why don't you wake up?" Gary folded his arms and smirked at a visibly angry Ash._

"_But I don't kno-"Ash started._

"_Save it…if you're too scared and pathetic I understand. But don't think anyone will feel sorry for you…come on Ash…prove me wrong." Gary interrupted as he started to fade away in the darkness of the unknown void. _

"_BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Ash yelled as he threw his cap on the ground, hitting the ground with his fists as tears start dripping on the ground below him._

_While Ash was doing this; an unknown figure appeared in the meanwhile and picked Ash's hat up and made its way over to him. It crouched in front of Ash and gently placed a hand on his shoulder._

_This caused Ash to jerk his tear-ridden face up and there, in front of him, was his best friend, Misty. "M-M-Misty…" Ash stuttered out._

"_Hey Ash…" Misty greeted Ash sweetly._

"_H-Hey…" Ash stuttered out once more as he looked up wide-eyed at her._

"_Come on Ash…you've got to get up and stop this crying." Misty said as Ash slowly got to his feet, still staring wide-eyed at her. She slowly and gently wiped the back of her hand over Ash's wet cheeks, wiping it away. "There you go…now Ash it's time to wake up."_

"_But Misty how? I don't even know where to begin…" Ash stated as he looked down._

"_Oh please…don't tell me Ash Ketchum, the future Pokemon Master, is about to give up so easily just because he doesn't know what to do." Misty stated as she smirked at him._

_Ash looked up at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. "You're right…I can do this!" Ash yelled determinedly while swinging his fist in the air._

"_That's the Ash I know!" Misty said as she slowly approached Ash and gently placed his cap back on his head. "There…now come on…pull through for us!" Misty encouraged him._

_Ash looked at her and he pulled his hat backwards determinedly and pumped the air with his fist. "Yeah…I'll do it!" Ash yelled passionately. "But…what do you mean by "us"?" Ash questioned._

_Misty face-palmed and shook her head in irritation and turned and walked a bit away from Ash. "I'm talking about us, Ash." And as she finished that sentence, all the people who randomly appeared before Ash earlier, all reappeared next to Misty._

_Ash stared dumbfounded once again at the sight in front of him._

"_See Ash; I told you that you are never alone…we're all right here." Ritchie stated as he smirked at Ash._

"_You guys…" Ash started as he hid his eyes under the brim of his hat. "Thank you…" was all he said as he looked up with tearful eyes and his trademark smile at his friends._

_This caused everyone to cheer and pump the air with their fists._

_Ash's smile once again faltered away. "Uhm…but how DO I get out of here…" Ash wondered out loud._

_Misty stood forward. "Just open your eyes…Ash." She said._

"_Ash" Professor Oak said._

"_Ash" Ritchie said._

"_Ash" Delia said._

"_Ash" Brock said._

"_Ash" Gary said._

"_Ash" Harrison said._

"_Ash…" Misty said as she smiled at Ash…_

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"Ash…Ash…ASH!" Misty yelled as she kept shaking Ash by his shoulders.

Ash's eyes slowly started opening because of all the commotion. "Uhhhh…" Ash mumbled.

Misty eyes grew wide in excitement. "A-Ash…Ash!" she yelled as she literally picked Ash's upper body off the ground and into a hug.

Ash, still groggy, managed to get his arms around Misty and weakly hug back. "Misty…"

"Pikapi" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped on Ash's shoulder and wrapped his tiny paws around Ash's neck.

"Thank goodness!" Nurse Joy sighed in relief.

"Hey what's the big idea attacking our Tentacruel like that!" Kim angrily yelled at the group.

Misty glared over her shoulder at the trio of brothers and let go of Ash and turned towards them. "And what were you three thinking! You could have killed us!" Misty spat back.

Ash also turned his attention to the three troublesome brothers with a glare. "You despicable three jerks!"

Gyarados roared in anger at the sight of the three boys with the Tentacruel.

"Pikachu…finish them off with Thun-"Ash began, but he was interrupted by Misty.

"Hold on Ash; let me and Gyarados handle this?" Misty looked at Ash and smiled confidently.

Ash smiled back and nodded at her. "They are all yours."

"Alright Gyarados; use your Hyper Beam attack on those three bozos!" Misty ordered her newly-adopted pokemon.

Gyarados roared in recognition and began charging the powerful attack.

"Oh boy…" Kim muttered out as they all looked on as the blast approached, flying towards them.

A loud explosion followed and six figures went crashing through the roof of the Gym and flew away into the distance.

"Hmm…I might need to fix that hole before the PIA gets here…oh no! The inspection…I completely forgot!" Misty panicked.

Nurse Joy stepped up. "Oh I wouldn't worry too much about that Misty."

Misty turned towards her. "But-"She began.

"You pass the inspection, congratulations!" Nurse Joy smiled as she showed her PIA badge that is pinned to the inside of her jacket.

"Wait…YOU were the inspector all along?" Ash asked in disbelief.

"But all the trouble…" Misty stated.

"Yes I do agree that a lot has happened today, but the way you handled everything proves to me that this Gym is in fine hands." Nurse Joy explained.

"Wow…thanks a lot Nurse Joy!" Misty yelled as she fist pumped the air.

Ash followed her lead and also celebrated with a fist pump, until he noticed Totodile lying a few feet to his right. "Totodile…" Ash whispered as he ran to his fallen pokemon. He crouched down and scooped Totodile up. "Totodile…Totodile are you okay?" Ash asked as Totodile slightly opened its eyes.

"Toto-dile" It exclaimed as it flashed a weak smile.

"Totodile…no…please be okay." Ash mumbled as he stood up from the floor.

Pikachu ran to Ash followed by Nurse Joy and Misty.

"Ash…is it gonna be okay?" Misty asked worriedly.

"Ash…allow me to take Totodile back with me to the Pokemon Center…I'll take good care of it and I'll call to report any news okay?" Nurse Joy volunteered.

"Okay but I'm coming too!" Ash announced as he started walking towards the door.

"Ash no…you've had a long day and need the rest. So stay here and drop by tomorrow." Nurse Joy intervened.

"No wa-"Ash began his argument, but was soon interrupted.

"Ash…Nurse Joy is right. You need some rest…and she said she would call if anything happened." Misty assured Ash and gently squeezed his shoulder.

Ash sighed and nodded. "Well okay…but please call as soon as there is news!" Ash said as he took Totodile's pokeball from his belt and returned the little pokemon.

Nurse Joy took the pokeball from Ash and nodded in recognition. "Well I better get going…so long you two and make sure you both get enough rest."

The two children and Pikachu nodded.

Misty then turned to Gyarados. "So…you ready to get some rest in your pokeball Gyarados?" Misty asked the giant serpent-like pokemon.

Gyarados nodded in approval and was soon returned to its pokeball and placed on the pokeball shelf.

Misty, Ash and Pikachu accompanied Nurse Joy to the front door to see her off to the Pokemon Center.

"Take care you three…see you tomorrow." Nurse Joy bid farewell and started walking down the path heading to the Pokemon Center as the sun started to set over Mt. Moon.

"Bye Nurse Joy, remember to take good care of my Totodile!" Ash shouted after her as he waved.

"Goodbye Nurse Joy thanks for everything!" Misty yelled as she waved.

"Pika Pikaaaa" Pikachu yelled as he waved with both paws.

"Well you two," Misty turned to Ash and Pikachu. "Let's go get something to eat!"

"Alright I'm starving!" Ash yelled as he ran into the Gym.

"Pika-Pika" Pikachu exclaimed as he ran after Ash.

Misty sighed. "Well I hope they realize that they're eating sandwiches tonight…" she said as she made her way into the Gym…

**Right now I need your guys' help. I want you to choose a team for Ash consisting of any six pokemon that Ash owned until the end of Johto. Please do not post your teams as reviews. PM your teams please I beg of you. But don't forget to review as well!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews guys. I got to update a lot quicker this week because I didn't really write a lot of exam papers.**

**Thanks Lightningblade49 and saveme57 for sending me your choices for Ash's team! Unfortunately you will have to wait to find out why I asked something like that.**

**Please pm me your choices and do not post it as reviews.**

**Anyway I had to split this plot up into two chapters or else this chapter would have stood at about 11 000 – 12 000 words, which is not nice to read I know.**

**Enjoy.**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 8: "Confessions":**

"Misty wake up…yoohooo Misty hellooo! It's time to get up!" a familiar voice was yelling as banging noises could be heard from the outside of Misty's room against the door.

"Uhhhh…" Misty groaned as she turned onto her stomach. She looked over at her Staryu-shaped clock which read 6:30 in the morning. "6:30…come on Ash you've got to be joking." Misty sighed as she buried her face in her pillow.

Ash banged his fists repeatedly against the door again. "Misty come on! Wake up wake up wake up!" he yelled through the door.

Pikachu had joined him in the meantime. "Pikachupiiiii pika pikaaaaa" Pikachu also yelled at the door as he banged with his paws against it.

"Ugggh…guess I'm not sleeping again…" Misty said into her pillow as she willed her body to sit up, but her face was still buried in the pillow.

"Mis-"

"I'M COMING!" Misty yelled at Ash, which was followed by a loud thud.

"Ouch…my head" Ash mumbled as he sat up after he fell backwards because of the fright. He rubbed the back of his head in disgust.

The door slowly opened and Misty poked her head out. "Uhmmmm…what just happened out here?" she inquired as she looked down at Ash sitting on the floor.

Pikachu went to Misty and stood next to her as he crossed his arms and frowned as he shook his head in aggravation.

Ash glanced up at Misty with one eye as he slowly stood up. "Sjeesh…was it necessary to yell like that Misty…" he mumbled bitterly.

"Well I wouldn't have yelled if you hadn't BANGED ON THE DOOR FOR TEN MINUTES!" Misty exploded as she fully opened the door and stood in the doorway.

"…I uh…wow…" Ash mumbled as he stared wide-eyed at Misty.

There, in the doorway, stood Misty...wearing a white t-shirt that exposed her midriff slightly accompanied by a pink pair of panties…

Misty tilted her head to the side as she watched Ash's sudden dimwit behavior. "Uhm…what wrong with you?" she asked as she took a step closer to him.

Ash yelled and reversed back a few steps and ultimately tripped over his own hands and fell down on his back, trying to focus his eyes anywhere except on Misty, who unknowingly hasn't noticed anything about her choice of clothes as to yet.

"Ash, are you okay?" Misty inquired as she frowned at the clumsy trainer. She then felt a small paw poking her leg. "Huh," she looked down. "Oh hey Pikachu…what's wrong…"

Pikachu was standing with his other paw closing his eyes and he even looked the other way. "Pika Pika Pikachupi…" he said as he pointed up at her.

"What? What's wrong now?" Misty said as she looked around her. "Ser-"she stopped midway through that sentence when she caught a glimpse of her own body…and what she was wearing…and then she froze.

"Uh…Misty…" Ash squeaked out as he took a peek at her. "Are you ok-"

"WHOOOOOOA, LOOK AWAY…NOW!" Misty yelled as she jumped back into her room and slammed the door shut.

Ash and Pikachu stared at the shut door as they sweat-dropped and then turned to face each other.

"Uhm Pikachu, what just happened?" Ash asked his yellow friend.

"Pika Pikachu…" Pikachu shrugged his shoulders and looked just as puzzled as Ash.

Both of them turned their faces to the door again and both gulped simultaneously.

"This could be bad…" Ash mumbled as he walked carefully to the door. He knocked softly on the door. "Uhm…Misty? Can I come in?" he squeaked against the door.

"NO!" Misty yelled on the other side of the door with her cheeks a bright pink color as she sat on the bed. _'How could I let that happen! Oh this is so embarrassing!'_ Misty thought as her blush intensified.

"Please Misty." Ash pleaded on the other side of the door.

"What do you want Ash!" Misty shouted as she folded her arms over her chest and stared at the door.

"Well…I wanted to wake you up so you could finish up. I really wanna get to the Pokemon Center to see how Totodile's doin. I'm really worried…" Ash trailed off as his expression saddened.

Misty stared sincerely at the door as she bit her bottom lip. _'Poor Ash...He must be worried sick about Totodile and I bet he could hardly sleep last night.'_ Misty thought as she slowly got up and started making her way to the door.

Ash backed away from the door. "I guess we'll have to wait Pikachu…" Ash sighed sadly as he turned around and started making his way to the living room.

Pikachu looked sympathetically at Ash as he started following him, but the turning of a doorknob behind him caught his sensitive ears' attention. He turned around to find Misty's head poking out.

"Hey Pikachu…" Misty whispered at the yellow mouse.

"Pikachupi…" Pikachu smiled and then turned around to where Ash was walking. "Pikapi Pika Pikachu" he exclaimed.

Ash turned around to where Pikachu was calling from. "What is it Pi-"Ash started, but he stopped when he saw Misty's head sticking out of the door. "Misty…" Ash mumbled as he made his way over to her door.

"Okay Ash…I'll finish up so we can go see Totodile kay?" Misty smiled as she watched Ash's expression lighten up considerately.

"Alright, come on let's go!" Ash said as he turned around to run to the Pokemon Center.

"Hold on Ash!" Misty yelled, which caused Ash to trip over his feet and fall face first onto the ground. Misty giggled at this. "I'm taking a shower first and then we can have breakfast AND THEN we can go see Totodile. Now go wait in the living room," Misty looked down at Pikachu. "That includes you too Pikachu." she said as she banished them to the living room area.

"Hmph…fiiiine…" Ash sighed as he and Pikachu made his way down the stairs to the living room area.

Misty aggravatedly sighed at Ash's one-track mind and closed the door behind her and made her way over to her closet. Rummaging through the closet she picked out some clothes and made her way back to the door. Opening the door slightly, Misty poked her head out again and looked around for any sign of Ash or Pikachu. When she was sure that they were nowhere near her, she took her chance and darted down the hall and into the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind her.

"Phew…" Misty sighed in relief as she put her clothes down on the sink and opened the taps of the shower. She took off her t-shirt and threw it on the laundry pile in the corner. Next she removed her pink panties and, as she looked at it, a blush formed on her cheeks as memories of earlier ran through her mind. "Uhhh…" she stuttered out as she looked at them. Quickly shaking her head to get the nasty experience out of her head, she threw the panty on the laundry pile. Misty stepped into the shower and relaxed almost instantly because of the hot, soothing water flowing over her…

Meanwhile Ash and Pikachu were sitting on a couch in front of the television. There was currently a rerun of this year's Indigo League showing and Ash was now mesmerized in it. Pikachu was taking a nap on the spot beside Ash on the couch.

"Wow look at that Steelix! And that kid's Arcanine!" Ash exclaimed like a little kid in front of a candy shelf in the store. "Man I would love to have a battle against those guys…right Pikachu?" Ash said as his eyes glimmered because of his thirst for pokemon battle. "…Pikachu?" Ash called out again as he turned to his loyal companion, only to find him sleeping soundly next to him. Ash pouted in annoyance and hmph-ed as he turned the other way. He found himself looking straight into a photograph of four girls.

Ash unconsciously smiled at the photo. _'Misty…'_ he thought as he stood up and walked to the photo to get a better look.

It was a photo of Misty and her three sisters; Daisy, Violet and Lily, which looked as if it was taken just before Ash and Misty met. All four of them looked happy with Misty in front in the middle of the picture.

'_Wow…'_ Ash was staring intently at the photo as he stood in front of it. "Misty sure is pretty…she's prettier than her sisters in my eyes…" Ash mumbled without knowing that, in the meantime, Misty had walked into the room and had heard the last bit of the sentence.

"What about my sisters?" Misty asked him.

Ash cringed at hearing Misty's voice. _'Uh-oh…'_ Ash thought as he turned to Misty, but his face full of fear was soon replaced by one of utter amazement.

There stood Misty, wearing a light yellow sleeveless hoody with a dark blue pair of shorts and long, white socks accompanied by brown snickers. She stood with her hands on her hips and had an aggravated look on her face.

"Wow Misty…I like your new look…" Ash said as he stared dumbfounded at Misty. "You look so pretty…" as soon as those words left Ash's mouth; he shut it with both his hands.

Misty's eyes grew wide as she heard Ash's statement. "I…uh…" Misty stuttered out as her face grew increasingly pink. "Uh…breakfast! We've got to finish up so we can go see Totodile!" Misty staggered out as she fled to the safety of the kitchen.

'_Wow…did I really just say that?' _Ash slowly let go of his mouth as he watched Misty disappear around the corner. "What's wrong with me! Why in the world would I say something like that about Misty?" Ash wondered out loud as he felt his head for any signs of fever or delusionality. Sadly there were none and this admiring of Misty was freaking Ash out. Sighing, Ash made his way into the kitchen and he saw Misty already seated and busy pouring some milk over her cereal. Ash made his way over to the chair opposite of Misty, trying to dodge eye-contact with her as much as possible.

Misty, who now had a blush because of Ash's presence, slowly propped a spoon full of cereal into her mouth as she looked up at Ash, who was staring intently into his own bowl of cereal. Misty sighed and frowned at him as she propped another spoon full of cereal into her mouth.

Ash kept eating quietly, but, to be honest, he was as hungry as a Snorlax. He looked up at Misty, only to find her staring weirdly at him. He was taken aback by this and glared at her. "What are you looking at?" he asked a bit harshly.

Misty's frown quickly turned into a glare of her own. "What? I can't look where I want in my own house?" she retorted back.

Ash frowned. He wasn't really in the mood to argue with Misty right now. To be honest, looking at her was starting to make him blush slightly. "Well I uh…I didn't say that…" he mumbled out as he went back to eating his cereal.

Misty stared at Ash in disbelief. _'Did Ash just back off from an argument?'_ Misty thought to herself as she slowly continued eating her cereal.

Things were now pretty uncomfortable between the two, with Ash experiencing weird thoughts and lapses of concentration when he looks at Misty, and Misty not quite understanding Ash's weird behavior.

Misty drank the milk that was left in her bowl and stood up. She made her way over to the sink and started rinsing her bowl.

Ash looked at Misty out of the corner of his eye while he slowly started drinking his leftover milk.

Misty sighed aggravatedly as she put the bowl down. The silence was really beginning to irritate her. Swallowing her pride, Misty turned to Ash with a smile on her face. "You ready to go Ash?" she asked.

Ash looked up at her with his mouth full of milk and quickly nodded as he got up and started rinsing bowl out. "Yeah let's go Misty!" Ash yelled as he finished swallowing the milk and put the bowl down next to Misty's. Then he went into the living room. "Pikachu, come on buddy we're going to the Pokemon Center."

Misty face palmed. "Ugh…Ash is such an idiot! He completely forgets about everything around him as soon as he hears anything related to pokemon!" Misty grumbled as she made her way to the front door.

Ash emerged from the living room area with Pikachu on his shoulder. "We're all set to go Misty, aren't we Pikachu?" Ash smiled as he scratched Pikachu behind his ear.

"Pika…" Pikachu yawned as he was still waking up from his nap.

Misty giggled and ran her fingers through Pikachu's fur. "Well good morning Pikachu." She smiled at him.

"Pika Pikachupi" Pikachu saluted her as he yawned once more as they walked down the road to the Pokemon Center.

Ash was walking considerably faster than Misty because of the fact that he would be able to see Totodile pretty soon.

"Ash please walk slower…Totodile isn't going anywhere!" Misty aggravatedly expressed as she grinded her teeth together.

"Awh chill out Misty…I just wanna see Totodile real bad!" Ash exclaimed as he started going into a jog, but it was ended as soon as Misty's fist connected with the top of his head.

Ash pummeled into the ground clutching his head, which now bore a bright red bump. Pikachu stood next to his master on the ground and patted his back in understandment and agreement of the punishment. Misty looked down on Ash as she smirked.

"What was that for!" Ash yelled as he got back to his feet and glared at Misty.

"Don't you have manners Ash Ketchum! You don't run off like a maniac and leave a lady on her own!" Misty yelled as she balled her fist in front of Ash's face.

"Well no one said you couldn't just run after me! There's nothing wrong with your le-"Ash said before he was cut off by a fist connecting with his head again.

"Excuse me! I will NOT run after you like some pet! Now we will walk at MY pace, do you understand Ash Ketchum?" Misty snarled as she swung her fist in the air just in case Ash decided to counter with another statement.

"I-"Ash began, but Misty tightened her fist at him. "Fine…" he mumbled as he carefully got up under Misty's glaring eyes.

"That's what I thought." Misty said as she clapped her hands against each other satisfied. She then turned around and started walking towards the Pokemon Center again.

Ash sighed as he watched Misty slowly making her way down the road. "Come on Pikachu…" Ash mumbled as he gestured for Pikachu to get on his shoulder.

Pikachu obeyed as he jumped on his master's shoulder.

Ash dragged his feet as he walked after Misty. "Sjeesh, the Pokemon Center is on the other side of town!" Ash complained as he noticed Misty disappearing in the distance. "Me? Running after a girl? Ridiculous." Ash snorted as an idea stuck into his head. "She said we aren't allowed to walk fast, right Pikachu?" Ash inquired with his yellow mouse friend.

Pikachu nodded as he turned his head in confusion at Ash. "Pikapi Pikachu?" he asked him.

Ash smirked maniacally at his friend. "Well Misty didn't say anything about flying…" he said with a mischievous look as he took a pokeball from his belt…

Meanwhile Misty was starting to slow down a bit when she noticed that Ash hadn't caught up to her yet. She stopped and turned around to see if Ash was closing in on her yet, but sadly there wasn't any sign of him. Misty frowned as she looked around for any sign of him. "Hmph…I must have been too fast for them. Oh well who needs th-WAAAAAAH!" Misty yelled half way through her sentence as she was scooped up from the ground and found herself looking down at it far below her. She then looked up to find herself sitting on a Pidgeot, behind ASH.

Ash turned his head to Misty and grinned. "Hey Misty how are ya?" he yelled as he smirked knowingly at her.

Pikachu's head popped out over Ash's shoulder. "Pi – Pikachu!" he exclaimed as he showed Misty a peace sign with his paw.

Misty's look of utter surprise soon turned to one of utter annoyance. "Ash Ketchum…" Misty said dangerously.

Ash gulped. _'Oh boy…better get myself out of this.'_ "Alright Pidgeot, take us up so we can get a nice view of the town!" Ash ordered his flying-type.

Pidgeot obeyed and soon started gaining altitude as it started flying on an upward angle.

Misty's eyes grew wide as she threw her arms around Ash. "Ash w-AAAAIIIIT!" she yelled as they went through the clouds. Misty held on firmly to Ash in fear of falling off.

Ash and Pikachu laughed because of the thrill while Misty was screaming with her eyes closed. Pidgeot stopped ascending and was soon flying constantly again.

"Misty…" Ash whispered as her eyes were still shut. "Misty you can open your eyes now…" he grinned at her.

"N-NO!" Misty stuttered out as she closed her eyes tighter and her grasp around Ash intensified out of fear.

"Awh come on Misty, you've gotta see this view." Ash reasoned wile Pikachu had made his way onto Ash's shoulder and looking at Misty.

Misty slowly peeked through one eye and sure enough, the view was breathtaking. "Wow…" she mumbled as looked at everything below her with an awestruck expression.

"What was that Misty?" Ash asked as he turned his head to look at Misty. "I could have sworn you just admired something." Ash said as he looked at Misty with a teasing expression on his face.

Misty looked up at Ash and a glare instantly found its way onto Misty's face. "Ash Ketchum what do you think you're doing!" she yelled, which caused both Ash and Pikachu to instantly look in front of them. "Don't you dare look away from me!" she yelled again.

"Uhm Pidgeot I think we need to go a little higher 'kay?" Ash said to Pidgeot as he winked at him.

Pidgeot smiled as it obeyed and slowly started flying in an upward angle again, until…

"OH NO, YOU AREN'T DOING THAT AGAIN ASH!" Misty yelled as she put her fingers in Ash's mouth and started pulling his mouth wider and shaking him around.

"O-kay okay p-please just stop you're hu-hurting me!" Ash managed to get out in between Misty's torturing. "Pidgeot don't do that. Just for-forget I said anything!" Ash screamed in pain.

"That's better." Misty said as she let go of Ash's aching mouth. "Now take us down," Misty stated sweetly. "Or else!" she added harshly as she held her fist to Ash's cheek.

"You heard her Pidgeot! Take us down!" Ash yelled nervously as he kept a watchful eye on Misty and her fist.

"Pidgeeeo" Pidgeot nodded as it slowly dived down towards the ground again.

Pikachu sighed at his master's fear of Misty and shook his head.

Misty inwardly sighed out of relief as she visibly relaxed.

Ash also sighed because he was now out of the dog box with Misty.

As they got under the clouds they could see the Pokemon Center below them.

"Alright there it is! Take us down to the Pokemon Center Pidgeot!" Ash yelled excitedly.

Pidgeot flew down and landed elegantly in front of the Pokemon Center.

Ash jumped off almost immediately and made a run for the doors.

"Wait, Ash!" Misty yelled after Ash.

Ash stopped, turned around and jogged on the spot. "What is it Misty?" he asked impatiently.

Misty was still sitting on Pidgeot's back. "Well, aren't you gonna help me off?" Misty asked Ash sweetly.

"Awh come on Misty I wanna see Totodile real bad!" Ash moaned as he looked expectantly at Misty.

Misty tilted her head to the side and pouted like a little girl wanting something from her daddy. "Pleeeease Ash, help me get down." Misty asked as she made puppy eyes at Ash.

Ash sighed. How could he say no to that face? He hastily made his way back to Pidgeot and held his hands out for Misty.

Misty smiled and took his hands and carefully climbed off Pidgeot's back. As soon as she was safely on the ground, she smashed Ash's face with her fist.

"What did you do that for!" Ash yelled as he clutched his head.

Pikachu and Pidgeot both looked on in confusion.

Misty dusted her hands off against each other and smirked satisfiedly. "That'll teach you to never, ever do anything like that to me again! Because next time I will NOT be so nice." She said venomously.

Ash got to his feet as Misty started walking to the Pokemon Center.

"Well, are you coming or not?" Misty asked Ash as she glared at him over her shoulder.

"Yeah I'm coming!" Ash retorted as he grumpily dusted himself off and took Pidgeot's pokeball from his belt. "Thanks you Pidgeot it was a lot of fun, return." Ash said as he recalled his loyal bird pokemon. "Come on Pikachu let's go see Totodile!" Ash said as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder.

"Pika Pika" Pikachu exclaimed from Ash's shoulder.

Ash hastily made his way to the front doors and went in. Once he was inside, he made a run for the reception counter where he found Misty talking to Nurse Joy. "Good morning Nurse Joy, where's Totodile? Can you take me to him right now please?" Ash hastily said.

"Ash, show some manners! You're so rude!" Misty hissed at Ash.

"But I wanna see Totodile noooow" Ash whined.

"Ash-"Misty said before Nurse Joy cut her off.

"Oh it's quite alright Misty. I understand that Ash is just worried about how Totodile is doing. It's no problem at all. Now follow me please children." Nurse Joy smiled sweetly at the duo of kids and Pikachu as she came from behind the counter and started walking down a corridor located on her left.

Ash hurriedly ran after her to catch up with Pikachu on his shoulder while Misty followed a few feet behind.

Nurse Joy stopped at a random door and then turned to Ash, Misty and Pikachu. "Totodile is fine Ash, you guys can go in and see it now." She said while smiling friendly. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to get back to the reception counter." She excused herself as she walked back down the corridor.

Ash burst through the door with excitement and there, in front of him was Totodile, peacefully napping on the bed.

Ash sat softly on the bed and gently shook his sleeping pokemon. "Hey Totodile…" Ash whispered as he shook Totodile a bit harder. "Wake up buddy." He whispered again.

Totodile slowly started stirring and pretty soon his eyes were fluttering open. "Toto…" it looked around groggily until it saw Ash sitting on the bed. "Toto-dile!" it exclaimed as it jumped up happily and danced around on the spot for a while before lunging at Ash and biting down on his head.

Ash laughed at Totodile's silly antics. "Haha cut it out buddy, that kinda hurts you know!" he laughed as Totodile kept dancing, causing more pain to Ash's poor head.

Pikachu scratched the back of his head and laughed half-heartedly while Misty giggled at the scene playing out before her.

Ash managed to get Totodile off of his head and was now hugging it against him while both of them laughed happily. "So buddy, you ready to come back to the Gym with us?" Ash inquired with Totodile after they both were satisfied with the greeting.

"Uh, wait Ash! Shouldn't you ask Nurse Joy for permission to take Totodile back with us first?" Misty asked Ash nervously.

Ash turned to Misty and then stared blankly at her for a while. "Yeah, I guess you're right Misty. Let's go ask her then!" he yelled as he got up from the bed. "Pikachu, keep Totodile company until we get back 'kay" Ash told Pikachu as he darted to the door followed by Misty, leaving Pikachu and Totodile alone in the room…

"Nurse Joy!" Ash yelled as he came to a screeching halt in front of the counter Nurse Joy was sitting behind. Misty stopped next to him after a while, out of breath after trying to keep up with Ash.

"Yes Ash? What is it?" Nurse Joy asked innocently as she looked up from the computer screen.

"Can Totodile come back to the Gym with us! I mean he looks fine, what do ya say Nurse Joy, can he?" Ash pleaded at a rapid pace.

"Well I don't see why not…" Nurse Joy smiled at the boy's enthusiasm.

"Yes!" Ash yelled as he fist-pumped the air. "Come on Misty; let's go get Totodile and Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he darted towards Totodile's room again.

"Just a moment Ash…" Nurse Joy stated calmly, which caused Ash to come jogging back to the counter again.

"Yeah Nurse Joy, what is it?" Ash asked Nurse Joy with a confused expression on his face.

"Well, I will allow you to take Totodile back with you, but I want it to take it easy for a while. It still needs to recover a bit. So just let Totodile relax by swimming freely in the pool or other fun activities." Nurse Joy lectured the two kids.

"That's a great idea Nurse Joy." Misty said. "It can play with all the pokemon of the Gym in the water and around the Gym!" she continued.

'_Other pokemon…'_ Ash thought as he listened to what Nurse Joy and Misty were discussing. "Hey Misty," Ash said as he turned to Misty. "Do me a favor and go fetch Pikachu and Totodile okay?" he continued.

Misty looked at Ash with a confused expression on her face. "Why Ash, where are you going?" she asked him.

"I just gotta make a call to Professor Oak 'kay? I won't be long!" Ash yelled as he headed towards the video phones.

"Uhm…okay…" Misty stated as she sweat-dropped and headed to Totodile's room.

Ash sat down in front of one of the video phones and dialed Professor Oak's laboratory. The Professor's face appeared on the screen soon after that.

"Why hello Ash, this is unexpected. How are you?" Professor Oak asked with his usual friendly mood.

"Hey Professor, I'm doing great thanks. Professor the reason I called is because I really need a favor." Ash said in his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor.

"Sure Ash, what can I do for you?" Professor Oak inquired.

By this time Misty had went and fetched Totodile and Pikachu and was now approaching Ash from behind.

"Hey Ash-"Misty started but was soon cut off by Ash, who yelled out of surprise and fell off the chair. "Hm, Ash what are you doing down there? Oh hey Professor Oak!" she continued once she saw the Professor's face on the screen.

"Hello Misty, hello Pikachu how are you?" Professor Oak greeted them.

"I'm fine thanks Professor." Misty smiled happily.

"Pika Pika" Pikachu added from Misty's shoulder.

"Why did you guys sneak up on me like that…"Ash mumbled as he got back onto the chair.

"Well, I went and got your pokemon like you asked from Totodile's room, so I came here!" Misty said innocently. "Oh yeah, here's Totodile." Misty said as she gave Ash Totodile's lure ball.

"Totodile's room, did something happen you two?" Professor Oak asked sternly as his gaze was fixed on the two and Pikachu.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu all scratched the back of their heads sheepishly.

"It's a long story Professor. I'll tell you all about it when I'm home again. But don't worry! Everyone's fine!" Ash assured Professor Oak.

'_When he's home again…does that mean that Ash wants to go back home already?'_ Misty thought as she frowned and looked down at the ground, deep in thought.

"Anyway Professor, I was hoping that I could send all my pokemon except for Pikachu and Totodile back to the lab, if that's okay with you." Ash said to the face in the screen.

"Well sure Ash, I have no problem with it, but why do you want to do that?" Professor Oak asked as he frowned in confusion.

"Well I don't want them to be kept in their pokeballs the whole time I'm here at the Gym. They'll be able to be out in the ranch there by the lab and be able to talk and communicate with the other pokemon. Oh yeah, would it also be possible to send Kingler to me? I want it and Totodile to have some fun here at the Gym. It's got a large pool and all of Misty's pokemon are here to play with." Ash explained to the Professor.

"Well sure Ash, good thinking my boy. I'll go get Kingler immediately." Professor Oak said as he disappeared from the screen.

Ash suddenly remembered something while he was waiting. "Bayleef…oh boy…" Ash sighed as he got up and took Bayleef's pokeball from his belt. "Come on out Bayleef!" he yelled as he threw her ball into the air.

Bayleef appeared in front of Ash. "Bay" she exclaimed as she looked around.

Ash kneeled in front of Bayleef. "Hey Bayleef, listen I was thinking. I'm gonna send you and all my other pokemon to Professor Oak's for a while until I get back home. Is that okay with you?" he asked as he rubbed over her leaf.

Bayleef seemed to be deep in thought. Memories of the weird room and the old man in the lab coat were coming back to her. Upon realizing what Ash was talking about, Bayleef negatively shook her head and moved closer to Ash. "Bay-Bay" she cried as she vigorously shook her head in disapproval.

Ash sighed at his pokemon's fondness of him. "It's okay then Bayleef, you can stay with us then." He smiled at her.

"Bay" Bayleef happily cried as she pushed Ash down on the ground out of approval.

Ash laughed as he slowly got up. "Okay so it's settled, Bayleef return." Ash ordered as Bayleef was sucked back into her pokeball. Ash clipped the pokeball back to his belt.

"Hello? Ash, are you still there?" Professor Oak's voice called out from the video phone.

Ash jumped to the seat in front of the video phone. "Here I am Professor!" he called out to Professor Oak's image on the screen.

"Right, anyway I have Kingler's pokeball here with me ready for transfer." Professor Oak said as he showed Ash the pokeball in his hand.

"Great, I'm going to send you Noctowl, Cyndaquil and Pidgeot Professor Oak." Ash said into the screen.

"I take it that Bayleef will be staying with you? She does seem very fond of you Ash." Professor Oak stated.

Ash laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, a little bit too much." Ash added.

"Well let's get started Ash." Professor Oak moved on. "Before I can send Kingler to you, you need to have a spot open and since you currently already have six pokemon with you, why don't you send Noctowl, Cyndaquil and Pidgeot over here first." He suggested.

"Sure thing Professor." Ash said as he placed Noctowl's pokeball in the transfer holder. "I'm sending Noctowl over now Professor." Ash said as Noctowl's pokeball converted into light blue static and disappeared.

"I've got it Ash." Professor Oak informed Ash as he held Noctowl's pokeball in the screen to notify him.

"Okay, next up is Cyndaquil." Ash said as he repeated the procedure and Cyndaquil's pokeball disappeared next.

"Cyndaquil made it safe and sound Ash." Professor Oak said as he held Cyndaquil's pokeball in the screen.

"And the last one is Pidgeot." Ash said as he put Pidgeot's pokeball in the holder and watched as it disappeared.

"There, all three of them arrived safe and sound. Now I'm sending Kingler over as we speak Ash." Professor Oak informed Ash.

And to the truth of Professor Oak's words, a pokeball appeared in the transfer holder next to where Ash was sitting.

Ash picked the pokeball up. "Thanks Professor I got Kingler." Ash said as he held the pokeball up to the screen for the Professor to see.

"Anytime Ash, goodbye Misty, Pikachu, you take care now." Professor Oak said as the screen turned black.

Ash got up from the chair and clipped Kingler's pokeball next to Totodile's lure ball. He then turned to Misty, who was still deep in thought. "Hey Misty, are you okay?" Ash asked her.

Misty looked up and snapped out of her thoughts as she saw Ash waving his hand in front of her face. "Huh, what?" she asked as she blinked a few times.

"I said I'm all done so what are we gonna do now?" Ash repeated his question for Misty.

"Oh uhm…I don't know? What do you feel like doing?" Misty asked as she put a kind smile on her face.

"Oh…well uhm…" Ash began as his stomach began growling. "Hehe…I guess I'm ready for lunch." Ash said as he laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

Misty smiled half-heartedly at Ash's normal behavior. "Well there's a nice restaurant down the street if you want to go eat…" Misty said to him.

"What are we waiting for! Come on let's go!" Ash yelled as he made his way to the door. "Goodbye Nurse Joy!" he yelled as he went outside.

Misty sighed and followed him. "Bye Nurse Joy; thanks for everything." She said as she waved to Nurse Joy.

"Goodbye you two, have a nice day!" Nurse Joy bid them farewell.

Misty got outside and saw Ash impatiently hopping up and down on one spot.

"Come on Misty hurry up." Ash said to her.

Misty nodded and started walking down the street.

Ash walked next to her and pumped the air with his fist. "Oh yeah, lunch here we come!" he yelled.

"Pi-Pikachu" Pikachu added with his own fist pump as the three of them walked down the street to the restaurant…

**Yeah there isn't a lot of action happening in this chapter, and I doubt there will be a lot of action in the next chapter neither, but remember to review and please pm your team.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to everyone for reviewing and all those readers who sent me their teams. I should just remind you all that you should select the strongest team possible!**

**Anyway, I decided to split this chapter further, so this isn't the end of this arc.**

**There is once again, not much action happening in this chapter. Sorry about that.**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing ways: Chapter 11: "Confessions" Part 2:**

"Misty how much further is it?" Ash whined as he looked at Misty with desperation evident in his eyes.

Misty sighed aggravatedly at Ash's one-track mind, which is always either pokemon-related, or food-related. "Ash for the 5th time, it is just a little bit ahead." She assured him once more as they walked down the road.

Ash groaned as he dragged his feet on the ground. Pikachu was sitting on his shoulder and stole a glance at Misty every once and a while. Something was wrong in the little yellow mouse's eyes.

Misty was looking down at the ground while biting her lower lip and appeared very deep in thought, something which did not go unnoticed by Pikachu.

Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and landed on top of Misty's head, which caused her to snap back to reality.

"Huh? What?" Misty said groggily as she looked around her.

"Pikachupi, pika chu?" Pikachu inquired as he hung over Misty's head to look into her eyes, albeit upside-down.

Misty smiled half-heartedly at Pikachu's actions. "Yeah I'm fine Pikachu…" she said in a fake joyous tone.

"You don't look fine…" Misty heard a familiar voice saying from behind her. She turned around and found Ash staring at her with a very serious expression on his face.

"What are you talking about Ash? I'm fine…" Misty hesitated as she faked a smile.

Ash looked at Misty for a long time, which caused Misty to really get on her nerves.

"Ash…?" Misty asked uncertain as Ash frowned at her.

"Misty…" Ash said as he finally stopped looking intently at her. "I've gotta tell you something..." he said as he gently and carefully took one of her hands in his.

'_Oh no…his gonna tell me that he has decided to go home…'_ Misty thought as she stared wide-eyed at Ash with a slight blush on her cheeks because of Ash's show of affection. _'I have to think of somehow out of this…and quick!'_ Misty panicked on the inside as her eyes scanned the area around them for any way out, but when she turned her gaze to Ash, she saw that he had a dead serious look in his eye, so whatever he is about to say, is very important to him.

"Misty, I-"Ash began as he looked deeply in Misty's eyes.

"Look Ash, the restaurant!" Misty interrupted him as she pointed to the restaurant situated behind Ash. Misty inwardly fist-pumped and praised her quick thinking. _'Yes there's my way out of this!'_

Ash turned around and sure enough, the restaurant, called Cerulean Pazzaroni, was there. Ash started drooling over the thought of a nice, big lunch, but then he remembered what he was doing; he was telling Misty something really important.

"That's great Misty…" Ash began as he shook his head to focus on the task at hand. "But it can wait, I wanna tell you something first." He said with a serious look on his face again.

Misty's eyes grew wide because of several reasons. Firstly, did Ash just pick her above food? _'Wow, this must really be serious if Ash is willing to do it before eating…I don't wanna hear him say it. I don't want to hear him say he's going home tomorrow…I don't think I'd be able to handle it when he leaves now, not after everything that happened yesterday.'_ Misty panicked when she also realized that her plan to get out of this mess was now ruined because Ash was willing to put the subject above his huge appetite.

"Misty…the rea-"Ash began once again.

"Come on Ash," Misty interrupted him again. "Let's go have some lunch!" Misty over eagerly said as she hastily walked away from Ash towards the restaurant, which resulted in Pikachu jumping off onto the ground.

"But Misty-"Ash said as he turned to her.

"Not now Ash, I'm hungry. Let's have some fun. We can talk about whatever it is you wanna say later." Misty said with her back turned towards Ash. To be honest, she was afraid that she would cry if she heard Ash saying that he was planning on leaving. "Come on…" she said as she walked to the front doors of the restaurant.

Ash watched Misty go into the restaurant. "I guess I'll tell her about it later…" Ash figured. "Come on buddy, let's go eat." He said to Pikachu as he slowly made his way to the restaurant.

Pikachu jumped on Ash's shoulder. "Pikapi, pika Pikachupi?" he asked Ash in a sad tone.

"I don't know buddy, I don't know…" Ash said as they went inside the restaurant…

Meanwhile Misty had found a good place to sit. She had her head in her hands, trying to regain her composure before Ash arrived. She had to admit that she hadn't thought of life without Ash in it. He had a knack for finding adventure and it sure made things interesting, plus he really was her best friend. They had gone through so many things together. But now he was going home, probably realizing how boring it would be being stuck at a Gym. She saw Ash and Pikachu coming into the restaurant. _'Well, if this is our last while together, I might as well enjoy it having some fun with him.'_ Misty sighed determinedly as she put up her best smile possible. "Ash over here!" she called out as she waved to get Ash's attention.

Ash looked up and found the source from which the calling of his name came from. He walked over to the seats where Misty sat and he sat down on the seat opposite her. He looked over at her and frowned.

Misty noticed Ash looking at her and frowned. "What's the matter now?" she asked impatiently and her frown transformed into a glare.

"Hmph, aren't I allowed to look at you?" Ash said as he glared back at Misty and crossed his arms.

"You better watch what you say Ash Ketchum!" Misty said aggravatedly as she shook her fist in front of Ash's face.

"Hmph, whatever…" Ash mumbled as he took a quick glance at Misty. "Sorry then…" he added coolly and then looked down at the table.

Misty and Pikachu both looked at Ash in disbelief, which caused Ash to look up at them in confusion.

"What? What is it?" Ash asked as he looked at Misty with confusion evident in his eyes. He then turned to Pikachu, only to find that he was looking at him with the same look of disbelief. "What's wrong Pikachu?" Ash asked as he was starting to get a bit on his nerves when he did not get a response.

Pikachu crawled up onto Ash's shoulder and then onto his head. He took Ash's hat off and tossed on the spot next to them. He then placed his paw on Ash's forehead and held it there for a while.

"Hey what are you doing Pikachu?" Ash asked as he looked up at Pikachu out of curiosity.

Pikachu looked up at Misty. "Pika ka Pikachupi" Pikachu said as he shrugged his shoulders at Misty.

Misty nodded and directed her gaze to Ash. "Are you feeling okay, Ash?" she asked him as she tilted her head to the side.

"I'm fine! What is it with you guys?" Ash responded while frowning at Misty and then at Pikachu.

'Well Ash," Misty started as Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and sat back down next to Ash's hat. "It's just that it's not like you to apo-"Misty said before she was cut off by the waitress coming up to the table.

"Good afternoon you two, I'm Jazmin and I'll be your waiter this afternoon." Jazmin greeted as she handed menus to both Misty and Ash. "I'll come back in a while to take your orders." She bowed as she made her way to one of her other tables.

Ash redirected his attention to Misty. "You were saying?" he asked as he looked at Misty with a skeptical eye.

"It's not important Ash." Misty said as she opened the menu and started nervously scanning through it, hoping to get Ash to change the subject.

"You guys are acting really weird today!" Ash said as he looked at Pikachu and then Misty. Seeing that Misty just ignored him and went on looking through the menu, he sighed and opened his menu and started scanning through it.

Pikachu made his way up onto Ash's shoulder and also started looking for something to nibble on the menu. "Pikapi pika!" he exclaimed excitedly as he pointed to his choice of food.

"Since when do you eat fries Pikachu?" Ash asked his yellow friend as he turned at him and looked at Pikachu with a skeptical eye.

"Uhm Ash…I'm taking a wild guess here, but I think Pikachu wants fries with KETCHUP." Misty said as she emphasized the word ketchup and laughed nervously at Pikachu's sudden excited demeanor.

Ash face palmed and sighed. "Pikachu, are you gonna eat the FRIES as well? Or just lick the ketchup off of it?" he asked as he lifted his eyebrow at Pikachu, awaiting an answer.

"Pi-Pikachu" Pikachu eagerly nodded as he made a peace sign with his paw and a silly, happy grin plastered on his face.

Misty giggled at the hyper little yellow mouse. "So Ash, how was sleeping on the couch last night?" she asked as she turned her attention back towards Ash.

"Misty, why do I have to sleep on the couch anyway…" Ash groaned. "There are four bedrooms in the Gym; one of them is yours', and the other three belong to your sisters! So why can't I just sleep in one of their rooms?" he continued whining.

"Now Ash," Misty began as she cleared her throat in order to talk sternly. "You know my sisters won't like it if you slept in one of their beds. They're pretty possessive about their property you know…" Misty trailed off.

"But Misty, it isn't as if I'll go through their stuff…just let me sleep in one of their rooms please." Ash whined as he pouted like a little child at Misty.

"Like I said," Misty began. "They won't like you interfering in their private stuff," she continued.

Ash sighed defeated at Misty.

"But," Misty went on as a smirk started forming on her face. "Seeing as how they are so spoilt, I think that it would be a good thing if someone got on their bad side for a change."

Ash liked where this conversation was going and he perked up during the course of it. "So wait does that mean tha-"Ash started before Misty took over again.

"So I'm gonna let you have a room Ash." Misty concluded as she crossed her arms, satisfied.

Ash's eyes immediately grew wide as a large smile appeared on his face. "Alright!" he yelled as got up from his seat and fist pumped the air. "Wow a nice, comfy bed tonight! You hear that Pikachu?" he asked Pikachu as he turned to the little yellow mouse.

"Pika pika" Pikachu replied happily at hearing the news of a nice bed to sleep on for the night.

Misty grinned at the boys' excitement and all three then laughed happily.

**[Meanwhile…]**

Jazmin made her way back into the kitchen, where two more waiters, a female with long, red hair and a male with lavender colored hair standing beside her. There was also a short, Meowth-looking cook standing on top of the oven.

"Uhm…don't you guys have tables to waiter at?" Jazmin asked the two waiters who were slacking off as they leaned against the counter.

"Nope…" the lavender-haired waiter replied.

"Aren't any people in the restaurant, thus there aren't any tables to waiter at." The red-haired waitress elaborated.

"Dat means that I down't haf to cook this heres food." The Meowth-looking cook added as he pointed to the variety of meat and other ingredients on the oven.

"Well uhm…okay?" Jazmin concluded uncertainly, until an idea popped up in her head. "Well there are some kids here at one of my tables…" she said matter-of-factly.

"Wow…good for you." The red-haired waitress said unemotionally as she stared at the ceiling out of boredom.

"Dat means I don't get to be off anymore…" the Meowth cook said depressively.

"Haha sucks to be you." Both the lavender-haired waiter and red-haired waitress mocked the cook at the same time as they both pointed at him.

"Anyway," Jazmin interrupted the weird trio of employees. "Can't one of you two take over their table, it's my lunch break." She asked as she looked at the two waiters.

"Dream on sister." The red-haired waitress said as she waved Jazmin's request off which counted for both her and her lavender-haired companion.

"Oh well, just remember that those kids look like they eat a lot. Growing children…might have been a big tip for one of you too…" Jazmin casually persuaded as she slowly walked to the employee lounge to take a break from working in her hell hole of a job._ 'Oh yeah, off for the entire day baby! Those clumsy goons will probably want to waiter at every table they can, including mine!'_ she thought as she disappeared through the doorway.

"A tip!" both waiters exclaimed excitedly at the same time as their eyes started sparkling over the thought of extra money. Both made a dart for the door in order to be the table's waiter.

"Go away James that table is mine!" Jessie yelled as she and James wrestled to get through the door.

"No way, that table is mine…so is the tip!" James yelled as he pushed Jessie as the wrestling continued.

Jessie dropped some round, shiny object onto the floor. "Oh look James; a bottle cap!" she yelled as she pointed to the fallen object.

"Ooooooh a bottle cap you say? I must add it to my collection at once!" James yelled as he ceased the struggle and bent down to pick up the precious bottle cap.

Jessie laughed victoriously as she went through the door unchallenged. "That table belongs to me alone now!" she exclaimed as she made her way to the table while still celebrating her "victory".

"Hey this is just a quarter! You rotten cheater this is worthless!" James yelled from behind the closed door in defeat.

Misty noticed Jessie coming up to them behind Ash and got suspicious the closer she came. "Hey Ash," she began as she frowned at Ash.

"What is it Misty? Why are you looking at me like that?" Ash asked Misty as he tilted his head in confusion at her.

"Look at this waitress coming up behind you. Doesn't she look a bit familiar to you?" Misty asked as she watched the waitress stop in front of them, her eyes closed while she had a satisfied smile on her face.

"Hello sorry about the inconvenience, but I will be your waitress for the rest of your stay here. My name is Je-"Jessie said as she opened her eyes, but stumbled as soon as she saw who were sitting in front of her.

"Hello there." Ash said as he waved and smiled innocently at Jessie.

Pikachu copied Ash's gesture and waved to Jessie, while Misty gave a half-hearted smile towards Jessie, still suspicious over her.

"I uh…would you please excuse me for a second…" Jessie stuttered as she made a dart back to the kitchen.

"Uhm…okay…" Ash said confused as he lifted a brow in the direction which Jessie headed. "Well that sure was weird." He added as he put his hands behind his head and frowned as he looked up at the ceiling.

"See Ash, she looks familiar doesn't she?" Misty asked as she frowned at Ash.

"Well yeah her face does look kinda familiar," Ash started as he looked back down to Misty. "But oh well…I just wish she'd come back, I'm hungry!" he whined as he rubbed his stomach.

Misty sighed and face palmed. "Geez, what else is new Ash…" she said aggravatedly as she glared at Ash.

Ash laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Well uh hehe…it's been a while since breakfast, which wasn't much to begin with…" he trailed off as awkward moments of that morning came back to him and he soon had a light blush on his cheeks.

"Are you feeling okay Ash? You look a bit warm…" Misty asked Ash as she studied him with a skeptical eye.

"Yeah I'm fine!" Ash yelled as he laughed loud and nervously to try and get normality back into the conversation. "I guess the hunger is taking its toll on me." He added as he grinned.

"Well okay…" Misty figured as she still watched Ash weirdly. "I wonder why the waitress ran off…I'm getting pretty hungry too…" she said as she looked over towards the direction that Jessie ran in…

James was sitting on the counter in the kitchen and sulking in defeat while Meowth was standing on the oven.

"I can't believe I let myself be tricked like that…that table belongs to me!" James yelled as he swung his fist menacingly in front of him.

"Hush up Jimbo…Jess has probably already helped those there clients." Meowth said as the door flung open to reveal a slightly distressed looking Jessie.

"Jessie, what wrong with you?" James asked as he frowned at his partner's weird behavior.

"Twe- twe-"Jessie stuttered as she started shaking with excitement.

"Yes, we're listening?" James asked as he and Meowth directed all their attention towards Jessie.

"It's the twe-, the twe-"Jessie stuttered until she was slashed across the face with three claws. She snapped out of her stuttering and immediately grasped her aching face. She then directed her rage and anger towards Meowth, who was standing in front of her, retracting his claws and looking quite satisfied with himself.

"Now spit out!" Meowth yelled at Jessie, but he soon found himself being strangled vigorously.

"Why you little wretch how dare you scratch my gorgeous face! I will destroy you!" Jessie yelled viciously as she shook Meowth around by his neck.

"Stop it, both of you!" James yelled as he cut in between the two arguing members of the trio.

Meowth landed on the oven and Jessie stood on the other side of James, glaring at Meowth.

"Now Jessie," James said as he turned to Jessie. "Tell us what you saw." He continued.

"Hmph," Jessie said as she turned away from Meowth. "Like I was going to say, the table I have to waiter at; belongs to the twerps!" she said as her mood grew excited again.

"Da twerps, wow what luck!" Meowth said, seeming to have recovered from Jessie's earlier attack.

"Tell me about it!" Jessie said. "It's the perfect opportunity to steal that Pikachu!" she added maniacally.

Jessie and Meowth started laughing evilly as they prepared to think of a full proof scheme to rip Pikachu from under Ash's nose.

"HOLD IT!" James yelled as he stepped in between the two converging members of their trio.

Meowth and Jessie both looked at James with confusion evident in their eyes.

"James?" Jessie asked uncertainly.

"What's da matter wif you?" Meowth asked James as he looked at him in confusion.

"What's the matter with me? I'll tell you!" James exploded, which caused both Jessie and Meowth to visibly flinch. "We are always trying to catch that Pikachu, and we always fail! All we are left with is aching bodies and low financial budgets, which cause us to suffer through life!" he yelled as he paced up and down.

"Wow James, you're a real drama queen, since when do you get so melodramatic?" Jessie asked her irritated companion.

"Yeah Jimbo, what's da matta?" Meowth also asked, but in a cautious tone.

"Here is what's going to happen!" James yelled as he completely ignored their questions and stopped in front of them. "Jessie is going to serve those twerps in there, and you, Meowth, will cook their orders at optimal efficiency!" he ordered as he pointed to both Jessie and Meowth.

"Yeah right as if that's going to happen." Jessie retorted as she flicked her hair.

"Yeah imagine da shame of cookin for those there twerps!" Meowth added as he crossed his arms in disapproval.

Both of them were immediately brought to their knees as James' fist connected with each of their skulls, causing them to throb in pain.

"Keep quiet!" James yelled as he dusted his hands off against each other. "You will do as you were told! I will not live under the breadline for you any longer! I will roll over on you!" he yelled as his assault on his partners continued. "Now go take their orders!" he yelled as he grabbed Jessie by the arm and threw her at the door. "And you! Get the grill ready!" he yelled at Meowth as he smacked him up against the oven.

Jessie fell onto the floor with a thud, but quickly got up and made her way to Ash's table. "Sjeesh, who knew that James is such a cry baby…" she mumbled to herself as she dusted her uniform off.

"Hey Ash the waitress is coming back…" Misty whispered to Ash when she noticed that Jessie was approaching them once more.

"Sorry about the delay," Jessie said as she giggled nervously. "Now can I take your orders?" she asked as she shakily held her pen to her notebook, waiting to write down the orders.

"Yeah uhm, I would like an extra large cheeseburger with fries and an orange soda." Ash ordered.

"Okay…" Jessie said as she wrote Ash's order down. She then turned to Misty. "And you?" she asked her.

"Well I'll take a small cheeseburger and fries and also make that an orange soda to go with it." Misty ordered as she smiled sweetly at Jessie.

"I'll bring it right away." Jessie said as she prepared to head back to the kitchen.

"Wait!" Ash stopped her.

"Y-yes, what is it?" Jessie said nervously as she turned around.

"Could we have a small fries with lots of ketchup and a bowl of water for Pikachu?" Ash asked Jessie innocently.

"If it isn't too much trouble…" Misty added as she smiled sweetly.

"T-trouble, did you say tr-trouble?" Jessie stuttered as her face started twitching.

"Uhm…are you okay miss?" Ash asked as he looked at Jessie with skeptical eyes.

Jessie started giggling clumsily and she had a weird, dumb look on her face. "Trouble…trouble…no." she mumbled as she shook her head, until the bottom of a frying pan connected with her head, sending her crashing down onto the floor.

"I'm so sorry about that!" James practically yelled as he hid the frying pan behind his back while talking to Ash. "One small fries and a bowl of water coming up!" he added as he kicked Jessie, sending her flying back to the kitchen and landing against the oven. James bowed for Ash and Misty and then darted back to the kitchen.

"Well that was weird…" Ash said as he sweat-dropped.

"Wow Ash, way to point out the obvious…" Misty said as she started giggling to herself.

Ash started laughing and scratched the back of his head. "Haha…very funny Misty." He said as he stopped laughing and looked at Misty. He soon found himself staring at her. He noticed a weird, tingling sensation starting to form in his stomach. He placed his hand on his stomach and noticed that it made him feel warm all over his body.

Misty noticed Ash staring at her, which caused her to become more self conscious. "Ash, are you okay?" she asked him softly, but nothing happened. He just stared at her with empty eyes and his one hand was placed on his stomach. "Ash…" she called again as she put her hand on his other hand, which was resting on the table.

This caused Ash to snap out of his thoughts and look directly at Misty this time. They caught each others' eyes and soon both of them were staring at each other.

Ash noticed the tingling sensation in his stomach returned again, making him feel warm inside. He subconsciously turned his hand under Misty's hand and entwined their fingers, which caused the sensation in his stomach's tingling to multiply.

Misty's eyes grew wide as she felt Ash's hand recuperating. A blush started forming on her cheeks as she instinctively squeezed Ash's hand.

Ash's cheeks also started turning light pink as he kept staring at Misty, with his mouth now hanging slightly open.

Pikachu frowned at the two humans' behavior, but kept quiet seeing as this looked important to the two.

Sadly, this little scene was abruptly ended when three plates of food were hastily laid on the table, which caused them both to retract their hands.

"Here's your food!" Jessie, who now had a bright, red knob on her head, said politely as she put their drinks down as well.

"Uh…thanks a lot." Misty mumbled out as she slowly looked away from Ash to Jessie.

Ash shook his head and closed his eyes to look away from Misty and turned to Jessie. "Yeah thanks." He said as he smiled half heartedly at her and then turned to his food...

Jessie nodded and slowly walked back to the kitchen while mumbling and rubbing her aching head.

Misty smiled and turned back to Ash and was horrified when she saw him devouring his cheeseburger, having eaten almost half of it already. She shook her head and sighed. "Wow Ash, I guess you really were hungry…" she said as she started nibbling on a french fry.

"Well yeah…ofcawsh I'm hungwy! We hardly ate anyfing today!" Ash exclaimed with his mouth full of food.

Pikachu licked ketchup off one of his fries in delight. "Chaaaa" he cooed in pleasure.

Misty sighed and started gradually eating while she looked at Ash, causing her to blush slightly because of their "moment" just a while ago. _'Ash grabbed my hand, didn't he?'_ she thought as she looked at the hand that was entwined with his while she took a bite out of her cheeseburger.

Ash had gobbled down his entire cheeseburger and was now puffing fry after fry down the hatch, his appetite causing him to momentarily forget about the events which occurred only a few moments ago. After a while Ash had finished all the food on his plate and was busy sipping some of his coda. He noticed Misty was eating very slowly. "Hey Misty?" he called her.

"Hmm, what…" Misty asked in a dazed tone as she looked up from her hand to Ash. "Oh hey Ash, what is it?" she asked as she smiled lightly at him.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked Misty as he lifted a brow as he looked at her.

"Yeah I'm fine Ash." Misty smiled at him. "Why do you ask?" she asked as she frowned at him.

"Well…it looks like you were kinda out of it for a while there…" Ash said as he looked at Misty with a skeptical eye. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked her again.

"I'm fiiiine Ash, don't worry!" Misty said as she smiled sweetly at him.

"Well," Ash said as he scratched his head. "Okay then...if you say so." He figured. "Anyway…are you gonna finish those fries?" he asked her as he started drooling while staring at the fries in Misty's plate.

Misty giggled at Ash and ate the last of her cheeseburger. "Sure Ash, here you go." Misty grinned at Ash after she swallowed the last of her burger as she pushed her plate full of fries towards him.

"Oh boy; thanks a lot Misty!" Ash said with a tone of voice that sounded full of excitement as he pulled the plate closer to him.

Misty laughed half-heartedly as she watched Ash devoured the poor, helpless French fries. She finished the last of her coda and rested her back against the seat. "Phew, now that was excellent!" she said as she stretched her arms out over her head.

"Wyou can say wthat agwen!" Ash said while he grinned childishly with his mouth full of fries.

Misty face palmed and shook her head. "Ash, how many times should I tell you to swallow first before you talk!" she said agitatedly as she raised her brow at Ash.

Ash swallowed the last of the fries and then laughed while scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, you do say that a lot, don't you." He said as he grinned at Misty.

"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu exclaimed to announce his presence as he jumped on the table.

"Hey there buddy, you all done?" Ash asked as he rubbed Pikachu between his ears.

"Chaaaa" Pikachu cooed as he softened under Ash's touch. "Pika Pika!" he exclaimed as he pointed to where his plate was located on the table.

Ash looked to where Pikachu was pointing. "Pikachu!" he yelled. "You didn't even touch the fries! You just licked all the ketchup off them!" he said as he turned to his yellow mouse friend and looked at him with skeptical eyes.

"Pika Pika" Pikachu replied as he shook his paws in front of him in denial.

"What do you mean you ate it? All of the fries are there!" Ash said as he pointed to Pikachu's plate. "I'm waiting, Pikachu." He said as he glared sternly at him.

"Pikachu Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled as he crawled to his plate, which was indeed still packed full of fries. He pointed his paw to the plate. "Pika" he exclaimed as he frowned at Ash.

Ash bent over until his face was right next to Pikachu's and he looked to where Pikachu was pointing. "What is it Pikachu? All I see is your FULL plate of fries?" Ash asked Pikachu in an impatient tone.

"Pika Pikachu" Pikachu replied as he pointed again, but closer this time to give more detail.

Ash looked closer and sure enough, in the corner of the plate full of fries, was a gap that was open, meaning that Pikachu did indeed eat some fries.

Ash face-faulted, but recovered very quickly and sat up right again. "Pikachu, that's not enough! You had to eat ALL the fries!" Ash yelled as a vein started popping on his head.

"Pika Pikachu Pi" Pikachu exclaimed as he crossed his arms and turned the other way with his eyes closed.

Ash sighed. "Fine, I guess, since you DID eat the fries." He said as he slowly stood up and grabbed his hat.

"Where are you going Ash?" Misty asked as she watched Ash put his hat on his head.

"I'm gonna go pay for our meal." Ash said as he headed towards the cash register. "You guys wait outside for me!" he yelled.

"Well…okay Ash. Come on Pikachu let's go." Misty said as she stood up.

"Pika Pikachupi" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped off and followed Misty to the door.

"Hello? Is anybody here?" Ash called as he stood in front of the cash register, waiting to pay. No one answered. He looked around, but didn't see anybody. He noticed a piece of paper lying on the counter and picked it up. "Hey it's a bill!" he said as he went through the list. "Hey it's OUR bill!" he yelled as he looked around again. There was still no sign of anyone. "Uhm…I guess I'll just leave the money on the counter then…" he figured as he took out some money and put it down, making sure to remember the waitress' tip. He looked around one more time and then shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the door.

A paw stuck out behind the counter and quickly grabbed the money Ash left. "Wow, da twerp sure didn't leave a big tip…who can blame 'em though…" Meowth figured as he put the bill's payment in the cash register and took the money for the tip with him. "Back to work then…" he said as he disappeared back into the kitchen.

Ash came out the door and found Misty and Pikachu waiting for him in front of the restaurant. "Hey guys!" he yelled as he ran over to them.

"Hey Ash, are you done?" Misty asked as Ash stopped in front of her.

"Yep all done!" Ash said as he smiled childishly at her. "Say, how about we go back to the Gym. I wanna let Totodile out of its pokeball to relax.

"Sure Ash; sounds good to me." Misty figured as she smiled back at Ash.

"Come on Pikachu, hop on." Ash said as he turned to the side of the road which headed to the Cerulean Gym.

"Pika" Pikachu said as he jumped on Ash's shoulder.

And the three friends headed back to the Gym in the crisp afternoon sun and relaxing breeze after their weird, but pretty good lunch at the Cerulean Pazzaroni…

**As I said, not much action in this chapter, but at least everyone knows where Team Rocket is! And there was a moment or two between Ash and Misty.**

**Please remember to review! And the next chapter won't be up for some time. Sadly I have to go to my dad and there isn't really a place for writing. **

**I'll still try to get some work done on the next chapter so I can update as soon as I get back home again!**

**So stay tuned!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Wow guys…I'm sooo sorry for this absence! I just had to do so much in school. Tasks, exams and college entry, you name it.**

**Anyway, this chapter is shorter than the previous few chapters, but the good news: The next chapter is almost done and will be posted by next week.**

**I also want to thank everyone for reviewing and please leave reviews after each chapter you've read. Your reviews are what keep me writing.**

**Let's be honest, this story sucked in the beginning because I didn't really plan. I just typed as I went along. But now that I started planning ahead, my writing and layout has improved don't you think?**

**I'm also thinking of maybe rewriting the first few chapters. Improving the grammar etc. Tell me what you think about it!**

**Once more I apologize for the long delay…really sorry.**

**Changing ways: Chapter 12: Realizations:**

"Come on Misty, hurry up!" Ash yelled as he turned his head to look back at Misty while starting to go into a light jog down the street as the gang made their way back to the Cerulean Gym.

"Pika Pika Pikachupi" Pikachu added his insight to the situation from on top of Ash's shoulder by encouraging Misty to move faster.

"Ash," Misty began as she jogged slightly behind Ash, clearly looking irritated. "The Gym isn't going anywhere, so would you please slow down!" she yelled slightly harder then she would have wanted.

People who were walking on the street turned their attention to the source of the racket, which was Misty.

"Uhm Misty," Ash began as he looked at Misty with his head tilted slightly to the side. "Why'd ya shout like that…" he continued as he looked around at the people giving them awkward stares.

"Oops!" Misty said as she giggled nervously and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly while giving a quick glance to the people on the street staring weirdly at the trio. She sighed aggravatedly. "Just come on…" she mumbled to Ash as she grabbed him by the hand and started pulling him down the road towards the Gym.

"Alright now we're talking!" Ash yelled excitedly. "At this rate we'll be at the Gym in no time!" he added as he fist pumped the air with his free hand.

"Pi Pikachu" Pikachu exclaimed from Ash's shoulder while mimicking his master's actions and also doing a fist pump.

"Ugh…" Misty moaned as she face palmed and continued dragging Ash down the road. "At least you're not hungry, because I would never hear the end of the complaining then…" she thought out loud.

"Now that you mention food…" Ash began. "Those waiters sure were weird, weren't they Misty?" Ash pondered as he frowned at Misty, waiting for her opinion about the matter.

"I know Ash, I bought that topic up way back at the restaurant, remember?" Misty responded impatiently as she rolled her eyes. "By the way Ash…" she started.

"Yeah Misty, what's up?" Ash asked as he tilted his head to the side at Misty out of curiosity.

"Well I was just wondering," Misty started as she turned her head back towards Ash. "Why'd you volunteer to pay for lunch back there?" she asked him and frowned at Ash's unnatural show of politeness at the restaurant.

"I don't know?" was Ash's well-thought reply. "I guess I just wanted to treat you guys a bit, you know? To thank you for all the adventures we had together, and sticking with me all the way through my journey, and letting me stay at the Gym of course…" he trailed off and sub-consciously smiled as memories started flooding his mind.

Misty was now staring back at Ash while she was also sub-consciously smiling sweetly at him._ 'Ash…'_ She then gave his hand which she was still holding onto a light squeeze, which caused Ash to look up at her.

Ash felt that weird, tingling sensation in his stomach again when he noticed that he and Misty were still holding hands. His cheeks started turning a more crimsonish red and he instinctively held tighter onto her hand. _'Wow, her hand is so soft and warm…mine is probably rough…'_ Ash thought as his eyes grew wide after realizing how his hand must be feeling to Misty. He quickly let go of her hand and shoved both his hands as deep as possible into his pants' pockets.

"What's wrong Ash?" Misty asked Ash while frowning at him as he made his way next to her, his hands still deeply shoved into his pockets.

"Uh, n-no I just wanted to walk next to you instead of being dragged…" Ash said as he giggled nervously and then started whistling to avoid any uncomfortable silences.

"Well alright…I guess…" Misty said half-heartedly and sighed softly. For some reason Misty felt kind of disappointed now, but she just tried to shrug it off as tiredness because of the walking. She took a quick gaze in Ash's direction. "Well...thanks anyway Ash." She said as she smiled sweetly at him.

"Huh? Thanks for what?" Ash asked as his whistling stopped and he looked at Misty in confusion.

"For paying the bill for lunch of course..." Misty said as she continued smiling at Ash. But are you sure you don't want me to help out? It's no problem really…" Misty added as she frowned at him.

"No Misty you don't worry about it…" Ash started. "It's no problem at all, it was my treat." He said as he smiled at Misty.

"Thanks Ash." Misty said as she smiled sweetly at Ash. "That was sweet of you…" she added as she softly grabbed Ash's forearm and gave it a light squeeze in gratitude.

Ash and Misty soon found themselves staring into each other's eyes again, with everything around them fading out, until…

"Pikapi Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed from Ash's shoulder to get his trainer's attention.

"Huh?" Ash snapped out of staring and looked up at Pikachu. "What's all the yelling-"Ash began, but he was cut off when his forehead connected with the unforgiving steel of a street lamp right in front of him, resulting in a loud thud and caused Ash to fall backwards and land flat on his back.

"Are you okay, Ash?" Misty asked as she raised her brow at Ash's painful, yet slightly funny predicament.

"Uh my head…" Ash mumbled groggily as he rubbed his forehead and sat up.

"Pika, Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed with an annoyed look on his face as he stood on the ground beside Ash with his arms crossed.

"Thanks a lot Pikachu…" Ash mumbled as he started to get up onto his feet.

"Pi-ka…" Pikachu started as electricity started sparking from his cheeks.

"Alright already," Ash started as he backed off a bit from Pikachu. "You helped a lot and tried your best, just don't shock me!" he yelled as he swung his hands defensively in front of him to escape the wrath of his little yellow pokemon.

Misty giggled at the pair's silly antics and shook her head in amusement. "Ahem…" she cleared her throat to get Ash and Pikachu's attention.

"Huh…" Ash said as he turned to Misty. "What's up?" he asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"You two can goof around at the Gym…" Misty said with her head held high in the air. "Besides…I want all my pokemon to be together for a change…" she continued as she started drifting into her own little world.

"What do you mean Misty?" Ash asked as he lifted his brow while looking at Misty, awaiting an answer.

"Pika…" Pikachu enquired as he tilted his head to the side while frowning at Misty.

"Well," Misty started as she turned to the boys while smiling half-heartedly. "Although I always had pokemon with me on your journey Ash, not all of my pokemon has been together at the same place before…and I miss those I have to leave behind at the Gym whenever I leave home a lot…" she trailed off while her hand sub-consciously moved to her chest as she stared at the ground before her.

"Yeah I know what you mean…" Ash said as he looked down at his feet and frowned. "Charizard, Squirtle and all of those pokemon I had to let go…I really miss them. It isn't easy to let go, but I know in the end that it's the right thing to do…" Ash trailed off as he bit his bottom lip.

Misty looked at Ash with sincerity evident in her eyes. _'Poor Ash…'_ she thought as she watched him. _'It must really be hard for him to see his pokemon go...No one I know is as deeply bonded with their pokemon as he is, so it must break him to see them leave or stay behind…'_ she concluded as she looked sadly at Ash.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu exclaimed unsurely as he patted Ash's shoulder.

"Hey buddy…" Ash said as he looked up at Pikachu and smiled half-heartedly.

Misty sighed and moved a bit closer to the two and punched Ash playfully on the shoulder.

Ash turned to Misty and tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "What's up Misty?" he asked her as he frowned.

"Come on Ash, I'll race you to the Gym!" Misty yelled as she took off down the street with a big smile on her face.

"Wait what?" Ash asked as he watched Misty fading into the distance. "Hey wait up!" he yelled as he took off after her, with Pikachu clinging onto his shoulder for dear life.

'_Hopefully this will cheer Ash up. I really feel bad though…this is kinda my fault…'_ Misty thought as she paced down the street. She looked behind her and saw Ash steadily starting to catch up to her _'Well I guess it worked!'_ Misty thought with a sigh of relief.

"Hey Misty, wait up will ya!" Ash yelled as he chased after Misty.

"Pika Pika, Pikachupi!" Pikachu yelled from Ash's shoulder as he bounced up and down.

"Yeah Misty...listen to Pikachu!" Ash yelled at Misty again. "He says he's gonna fall if it goes on like this!" Ash yelled as he started laughing at Pikachu, who was now clinging onto Ash's hat for grip.

"Well if you want to be a pokemon master; you and Pikachu will have to get into shape you know!" Misty yelled back as the Gym started appearing in the distance.

"And who says we're not fit already!?" Ash yelled back confidently as he picked up the pace and pretty soon ran right behind her, the thrill of competition starting to course through his veins.

Misty could hear rapid footsteps coming up from behind her and, curious about it, turned her head to see who it was.

"You're not winning us Misty!" Ash yelled as he started overtaking Misty from the right, a grin of determination plastered on his face all the way.

"We'll just see about th-AAAAH!" was the last that came out of Misty's mouth before the front of her shoe struck a rock, causing her to trip and started sending her on an one way meeting with the pavement down below.

Everything went slow-motion from there on through Ash, Misty and Pikachu's eyes…

Ash looked on as Misty started falling. _'No…Misty!'_ he thought as his eyes grew wide when he realized that she was in real trouble because of the speed at which they were running at was giving her a lot of extra momentum. The thought of Misty being in danger just didn't seem right to Ash these days, and he was determined to save her…

Misty knew that she was trapped. One way or another; she was going to hit the ground and it was going to hurt! She closed her eyes tightly and prepared herself for inevitable pain that was going to occur in just a few moments.

Ash carried out the only action he thought was appropriate for the current situation; he threw himself forward and somehow got his body beneath Misty's while she was falling.

There was a loud thud as they connected with the hard and unforgiving ground below them.

Pikachu flew off Ash's shoulder and landed right in front of the Gym's front door.

Misty still had her eyes shut tightly, waiting to feel the pain from her collision with the ground. Strangely; Misty didn't feel any pain whatsoever. She did however feel a slight landing, which was surprisingly soft and it was accompanied by a steady, safe grip around her body. Curious about the situation; she slowly opened her eyes and found herself on the ground, in a pair of arms. She directed her gaze upwards and found her face on someone's chest, inches away from another face, Ash's face…and she was lying on top of Ash…in his arms!

"Uhhhh…" Ash mumbled as he groggily opened his eyes. He then found himself staring right into Misty's gorgeous, startled sea green eyes when his own eyes started focusing again. "Misty…?" he asked uncertainly.

Misty was lying with her entire body on Ash's with her chin resting on his chest, his arms firmly wrapped around her. She was staring wide-eyed up at Ash with her mouth partly open out of shock. "A-Ash…?" she stumbled out as her cheeks started darkening into a light pink color.

Ash's cheeks were now also darkening into a deep red color as he stared wide-eyed back at Misty, but he didn't let go of her. In fact, he tightened his grip on her sub-consciously, out of instinct. "I uh…I…" he started staggering out, but was soon just staring at her again with his lips parted slightly.

Misty stared into Ash's eyes momentarily and then found her eyes redirecting their gaze to his partly-open lips. With her cheeks now a deep pink color, she sub-consciously crawled slightly up against Ash's upper body, bringing their faces only mere inches from each other.

Ash's eyes grew even wider as he watched Misty's face coming ever so closer to his own. He could feel his heart banging aggressively in his throat because of his nervousness and was accompanied with pure and utter shock.

Misty felt Ash's heart pound against her body and for some reason completely out of her comprehension, she pressed her body up against his, causing her heart to pound out of control as well. With their hearts beating simultaneously against one another serving as fuel to the fire; she tilted her head slightly to the side and slowly moved her lips towards Ash's as she slowly started closing her eyes.

Ash stared wide-eyed as Misty's lips got closer and closer to his and, almost instinctively, started closing his eyes and parted his lips a bit more while lifting his head to grab Misty's lips on the way…

"Pikapi, Pikachupi?" Pikachu called out as he scampered over to where Ash and Misty were lying, ever so close to sharing a first, passionate kiss.

"Huh…" both Ash and Misty exclaimed simultaneously. Ash lifted his head out of surprise, causing a painful clash of heads between Misty and himself. "Ouch!" they both yelled simultaneously once more as Misty rolled off Ash and sat on the4 ground next to him, rigorously rubbing her wounded forehead.

"Pika, Pikachu?" Pikachu inquired as he tilted his head to the side in confusion because of Ash and Misty's weird antics.

"What's the big idea Pikachu?" Ash asked Pikachu with tears in his eyes because of the pain as he rubbed the red bump on his forehead.

"Yeah, why'd you sneak up on us like that?" Misty added as she grasped her now-aching head with both of her hands and glared at Pikachu with one, half-open eye.

"Pika Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed hastily as he waved his paws defensively in front of him.

Pikachu's antics proved futile as Ash and Misty got closer, soon hovering over him. They both pounced on the poor yellow mouse, resulting in a brawl accompanied by a cloud of dust.

"Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu's cries of pain could be heard from within the cloud of dust.

The dust eventually cleared as Ash and Misty made their way into the Gym, dusting their hands off satisfied and accompanied by an "hmph" from each of them.

"Pika Pika…" Pikachu mumbled as he lay on the ground, with swirling eyes and a goofy smile on his face because of the beating handed to him.

"Pikachu," Ash started as he stuck his head out of the door from inside the Gym.

"Pika…?" Pikachu stuttered out dizzily as he sat upright and looked over towards the door.

"Are you coming buddy?" Ash asked nonchalantly, as if nothing even happened.

Pikachu face-faulted dramatically, with his hind paws twitching in the air. He soon recovered though and sighed exasperatedly. "Pikachu…" He exclaimed irritated as he made his way over towards the door.

The two of them made their way into the living room to find Misty, but she wasn't in there.

"Misty?" Ash called out as they looked around the living room for any sign of Misty.

"Pikachupi, Pika Pika?" Pikachu exclaimed with his paws cupping his mouth.

"Misty, where are you!?" Ash yelled as he made his way through the living room with Pikachu following close behind.

The two of them walked into the pool area of the Gym and they spotted Misty sitting on one of the pavilions that surrounded the pool in the middle of the room.

Misty was staring out in front of her, seemingly deep in thought. _'Out there, on the ground. Did me and Ash almost…kiss?'_ she thought to herself as she bit down on the tip of her thumb and frowned while she stared at the water in the pool in front of her.

"Pikachupi," Pikachu exclaimed excitedly as soon as he spotted Misty and almost immediately scampered over to where she was sitting.

"Huh?" Misty mumbled as she turned her head in the direction from which the noise as coming from, laying her eyes directly on Pikachu who was rapidly approaching her. "Pikachu!" she said as a big smile made its way onto her face as she held her arms open for the little mouse.

"Pika," Pikachu exclaimed as he leaped into Misty's waiting arms. He crawled up and nuzzled his cheek affectionately against hers.

Misty giggled childishly at the little mouse's show of affection towards her. "Pikachu, if this is your way of softening me up…it sure is working!" she said in between giggles as she scratched Pikachu softly between his ears, earning a coo from the yellow mouse.

Ash slowly and casually approached the two of them while smiling brightly at the happy-looking sight of them in front of him. He crossed his arms over his chest and his smile soon transformed into a smirk of some sort. "Ahem…"

"Huh?" Misty exclaimed as she turned her attention towards Ash, who now had a clear smirk evident on his face. "Oh hey Ash, what's up?" she asked Ash as she turned herself completely towards him with Pikachu still nuzzled up against her cheek, cooing softly in delight because of Misty's soft touch.

"Wow, who ever said that you don't have a softer side sure was wrong…" Ash said as he grinned knowingly at Misty.

"Ash…" Misty started with a dangerous tone of voice as her gaze intensified into an irritated glare. "If I weren't so tired from all of that running I would ki-"she said before stopping midway through as she took a better look at Ash.

His arms were full of scrapes and scratches. He had a cut on his left cheek which was starting to bleed slightly and there was a tear in the sleeve of his black t-shirt, close to his to his left shoulder. To be honest; it was only a few mild scrapes and scratches, nothing too serious…

"A-Ash..." Misty stuttered out as her eyes grew slightly wider. She looked at the tear in his shirt and, to her horror; she noticed blood trickling down his shoulder.

"What?" Ash asked as he frowned at Misty because of her sudden, weird behavior. "Misty, what is it?" he asked again, but with more nervousness evident in his voice. He took a step forward towards her, but it came to a sudden halt as Misty came lunging at him, almost knocking him backwards onto the floor.

"Ash…y-your arm…look at your arm!" Misty yelled wide-eyed and hysterically as she took hold of Ash's wounded arm.

"Pika, Pikachu?" Pikachu inquired dizzily as he sat upright. Misty sudden change of demeanor caused the poor little mouse to fall flat on his face onto one of the pavilion's seats.

"My arm, what do you mean my ar-OUCH!" Ash yelled as Misty started rolling up the sleeve of his shirt to examine the wound more thoroughly and because of some blood that dried already; it caused the shirt to pull his skin along with it.

"Yes your arm Ash! What happened to arm!? Oh gosh…Ash, are you okay!?" Misty panicked frantically as she held Ash's arm in place while examining the gash on his right shoulder.

"Well uh…I don't know actually…" Ash said as he laughed nervously. "I only noticed it after you did." He added. "I guess I must…have gotten hurt…in…the…fall…" Ash slowed down and stared at what Misty was busy with…

She was now sub-consciously stroking gently over Ash chest while she was examining the wound. She quickly noticed it afterwards however because she could feel his heart beat quickening dramatically, causing her to jolt her head up and stare wide-eyes into Ash's eyes. "I uh…I…" she started stuttering out, but kept quiet after a while as her cheeks started darkening deep red. She started backing away backwards from Ash and suddenly tripped over the poor, still-recuperating Pikachu, causing her to fall solidly on her backside.

"Misty!" Ash yelled as he took a step closer to her, but she quickly got back on her feet again however.

"Don't worry I'm fine!" Misty said as she giggled nervously while scratching the back of her head.

"Pika Pikachupi," Pikachu moaned as he rubbed his head, slightly irritated because of bumping it and then falling on his head twice in the space of a few minutes.

"What's wrong now Misty? Ash asked as he scratched the back of his head in confusion and frowned at Misty.

Misty on the other hand, slapped her forehead with her palm in utter disbelief. _'WOW…Ash really is a dense fool sometimes…doesn't he remember what just happened?'_ she thought aggravatedly. She then looked at Ash, who was still staring at her in confusion, causing her to sigh in exasperation. "Nothing Ash…just stay here; I'm going to go look for a first aid kit 'kay?" she stated as she turned and walked away, disappearing through the doorway that led to the living area of the Gym.

"Sjeesh, what's up with Misty today?" Ash wondered out loud as he frowned at the doorway through which Misty disappeared just a few moments ago. "Oh well…" he figured as he took a seat on the pavilion.

He stared out in front of him at the water in the pool…and then he remembered something. "Hey I almost forgot!" he yelled as he rose to his feet again.

**Well not a very long chapter, but the next one is definitely longer and almost finished.**

**If you guys know any beta readers, please pm their names…I need a beta reader!**

**Till next time**


	13. Chapter 13

**Really sorry that this chapter took so long…to be honest it was almost done by the posting of the last chapter.**

**I just didn't have the time to work as much as I wanted to. It's exams again and the marks really are important, so don't be alarmed if it takes a while for me to post the next chapter.**

**Thank you everyone for all the reviews last time. We've passed the 50 mark in more than one way…**

**Reviews for this story have gone up to 56 and the words are now just shy of 54 000!**

**I know that a lot of you guys feel that the first few chapters really do suck: No real plot or events. Believe me I read through them, but I think that everyone can agree that the writing has really improved from the latter chapters.**

**Anyway here's chapter 13, enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing ways: Chapter 13: Regret:**

_He stared out in front of him at the water in the pool…and then he remembered something. "Hey I almost forgot!" he yelled as he rose to his feet again._

"Pika, Pikapi?" Pikachu inquired from where he was standing next to Ash on the ground.

"Just follow me buddy." was Ash's explanation as he made his way towards the pool located in the middle of the room. He removed two of the three pokeballs that were clipped to his belt and pushed the button in the center of each ball, causing it to enlarge. "Alright Totodile, Kingler; come on out!" he yelled as he threw the two pokeballs underarm at the same time.

The two pokeballs opened midway over the pool and released a bright flash of light down into the water below.

A giant crab-like pokemon appeared out of the bright light first. "Cookie Cookie," Kingler exclaimed as it clasped its pincers, with the left pincer considerably larger than the right one.

Kingler was followed by a smaller, reptilian-like pokemon that appeared out of the water next to it. "Toto-dile," Totodile exclaimed happily while it danced a few inches above the water for a moment.

"Hey you guys!" Ash greeted his two trusty water pokemon. "Kingler, it's great to see you again old buddy!" he said to Kingler as he crouched down on the edge of the pool.

"Cookie Cookie Cookie," Kingler replied happily as it waved its claws cheerfully in the air.

Both Kingler and Totodile then swam to the side of the pool and came to a halt before their master.

Pikachu also came closer and stood next to Ash. "Pika Pika," he greeted his two companions cheerfully as he waved at them with his paw.

Ash smiled warmly at his three pokemon. He didn't want to break up the happy reunion. "Alright guys, you can catch up all you want later, but listen up for now." He said as his expression turned a bit more serious as he addressed them.

"Toto…?"

"Cookie…?"

"Pika…?"

Totodile, Kingler and Pikachu looked on as they waited to hear what Ash had to say to them.

"Totodile was in a very hard battle yesterday," Ash started as his expression turned grim at the memory of what occurred the previous day. Of what those jerks did to his pokemon, of what they did to MISTY. The thought of Misty being hurt caused Ash to sub-consciously ball his fists in anger as his jaw clenched shut.

"Pikapi…?" Pikachu called unsurely.

Ash snapped out of his thoughts and directed his gaze towards Pikachu beside him, who had an unsure, worried look in his eyes. _'Pikachu…'_ Ash thought as a smile made its way onto his face. He turned his attention to the pool, where both Totodile and Kingler were looking at him with worried expressions. _'My friends…I guess they are worried about me…'_ he thought as his eyes started moistening slightly. _'I promise you all that I will never let anything happen to you guys…'_ he made a silent oath in his head as he glanced over towards the doorway through which Misty disappeared a while ago with a smile on his face.

"Pika, Pikapi?" Pikachu inquired worriedly as he tugged slightly on Ash's jean.

Ash looked over at Pikachu again. "Sorry about that…" he mumbled as he shook his head a couple times. "Don't worry guys, I'm just fine!" he said happily while a big smile plastered on his face.

Pikachu, Kingler and Totodile all looked at Ash with sincere eyes and nodded, satisfied that their master is, and will be, okay.

"Anyway, as I was saying…" Ash continued as he got back up from his crouching position. "We took Totodile to the Pokemon Center and Nurse Joy said that it's gonna be just fine." He added with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed as he cheerfully fist pumped the air.

"Cookie Cookie," Kingler exclaimed happily as it waved its huge left pincer around in the air.

"To-To-To-To-To-To, Toto-dile," Totodile proclaimed excitedly as it danced around in the air above the water for a few moments.

"Hold on a second!" Ash yelled as he held his hand open in front of him to order the three of them to settle down.

All three of the pokemon stopped their respective celebrations and then looked at their trainer, their eyes wide out of curiosity.

"Now I know that Nurse Joy said that Totodile would be fine," Ash started as he looked intently at his pokemon. "But she also said that you need to rest for a few days buddy." He continued as he addressed Totodile. "So I think it'll be better if we make this stay here at Misty's Gym a little vacation for now 'kay?" he concluded while he looked at the three of them again. "So…what do you guys say?" he asked them as he lifted his brow in anticipation.

"Pika,"

"Cookie,"

"Toto-dile,"

All three of the pokemon sounded their approval with a mighty paw-, claw- and pincer-pump respectively. A little vacation would do them all good. Not much time has gone by since Kingler's unfortunate exit from the Silver Conference's qualifying rounds and yesterday's dramatic events drained both Pikachu and Totodile of their last bit of energy and lust for battle at the moment.

"So it's settled then; we'll use the time we are going to spend here to chill out and relax for now, until Totodile's recovered. Then it'll be back to training!" Ash declared excitedly as he shoved his fist into the air.

"Pi-Pikachu," Pikachu exclaimed as mimicked Ash's excited demeanor while he jumped into the air, flashing a peace sign with his right paw.

"Toto-dile," Totodile exclaimed excitedly while doing a happy little dance on the spot.

"Cookie," Kingler cheered as it happily swung its huge left pincer in the air.

Ash was laughing light-heartedly at his pokemon's celebrations when he caught something out of the corner of his eye.

What Ash saw happened to be Misty, who had returned through the doorway through which she disappeared earlier and she was carrying a small, yellow box, which Ash presumed to be a first aid kit.

"Hey Misty," Ash greeted Misty friendly as he turned to face her. "So I guess you found a first aid kit then, hey Misty?" he asked her as he pointed to the yellow box in her hands.

"Yep…" Misty replied with a smile as she held the box up for Ash to see. "No go sit on the pavilion so I can clean those wounds!" she ordered as she herself started making her way over towards the pavilion.

"Well uh…okay?" Ash asked quizzically. "Alright you guys," he started as he addressed his pokemon. "The three of you can relax for a bit and when Misty and I are finished; we can have some fun in the pool!" he declared with another exciting fist pump.

All three of the pokemon nodded and went their own separate ways. Kingler decided to take a little dip underwater, while Totodile backstroked merrily through the water.

Pikachu scampered onto Ash's shoulder, deciding on following his master.

Ash and Pikachu then made their way over to where Misty was unpacking some medical items. Ash sat down next to her and stretched his arms out above him. "You know Misty, these cuts really aren't so bad…" he said as he looked on the small scrapes on his arms.

"Yeah, well better safe than sorry." Misty concluded as she held a cloth dipped in some herbal medicine. "Now just hold still…it's gonna sting a bit." She ordered as she brought the cloth closer to Ash's skin.

"Please Misty…I can handle anything." Ash stated hard-headedly, that is of course, until the cloth connected with some open wounds. Ash cringed and visibly clenched his teeth as Misty wiped over all the wounds on his arms.

"There…" Misty exclaimed as she stood back. "Now uhm…that cut on your shoulder…" she began with her cheeks starting to turn a bright pink color. "I think you can clean that by yourself…" she stated awkwardly.

"But you've already cleaned the rest so why not clean that one as well?" Ash puzzled as he frowned in confusion.

"JUST DO IT!" Misty yelled frantically into Ash's face, causing him to cower in fear.

"Alright…sjeesh…" Ash mumbled as he took the cloth from Misty. He got up and removed his jacket and put it next to Misty. Next he removed his hat and placed it ontop of his jacket. He finally removed his black t-shirt and threw it next to his jacket and hat. He then slowly started wiping over the cut on his shoulder, which wasn't really a very big or serious wound.

While all of this was happening; Misty had been staring at Ash the whole time, her cheeks burning up and her lips parted slightly. She quickly shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. _'What am I doing? Did I just…ADMIRE Ash's body? Well he sure has grown up…and all that training with his pokemon really did wonders to his body…'_ she thought to herself as she stole a glance towards him again, but quickly looked the other way when her cheeks started burning again. _'What am I saying!?'_ she thought as she slapped her forehead with her palm.

"Wow…that sure stung…" Ash commented as he wiped over the cut one last time before he put the cloth next to the yellow box. "There…all done…" he proclaimed as he put his shirt back on followed by his hat.

Misty took a sideway glance and Ash and when she saw that he was dressed; she turned back to him. "Well it sure took you long enough…" she remarked sarcastically. She then saw something and moved closer to him with a skeptical look in her eyes.

Ash shifted his hat into the correct position on his head and frowned at Misty. "What're you doing Mis…ty…" he slowed down as Misty inched her face closer and closer to his.

"Hmmm…" Misty hummed as she took a closer look at Ash's face. She then noticed the cut on Ash's cheek, which she had forgotten to clean. "Oops…I forgot about this one…" she absentmindedly stated as she picked the medicine-dipped cloth up again.

"What do you mean you forg-"

"Shhhhh…" Misty interrupted Ash's nervous-sounding inquirement. "Now just stay still…" she ordered as she closed in on Ash's face.

Ash's eyes grew slightly wider as Misty gently took the brim of his hat and then turned it backwards on his head. "I uh…" he started, but stopped soon after, with his mouth slightly open. He held his breath as Misty's face was a few mere inches away from his, gently wiping over the cut on his now dark red colored cheek.

"There…" Misty whispered mostly to herself as she put the cloth back onto the yellow box. "All done…" she concluded as she backed off a bit to get a better look at the cut.

"I uh…thanks…" Ash mumbled out as he started breathing normally again and sighed out of relief.

"No problem Ash…" Misty said as she smiled sweetly at him. She then heard splashing coming from behind her in the pool and turned around to find Totodile and Kingler happily playing in the water.

"Uh…I hope you don't mind Misty," Ash started unsurely as he came up from behind her. "But I let those two out to relax a bit you see…" he added as he made his way next to her and watched his two pokemon play around.

"It's not a problem Ash…" Misty started as she stared at the two pokemon. "On the contrary, it's actually a good idea; I'm gonna let my pokemon out of their balls too so they can join in on the fun!" she exclaimed excitedly as she made her way towards the pokeball-holding rack in the corner of the room.

"That's a great idea Misty!" Ash said as he balled his fists in excitement.

Misty gathered all of her pokeballs into her arms and made her way back to the pool's edge. "Come on out everyone!" she yelled as she threw all of the pokeballs into the air.

There was a huge, bright light as the pokeballs opened in mid-air, from which all of Misty's pokemon, including those kept in the Gym on a permanent basis, appeared from into the water.

"Psy," Psyduck exclaimed in the water, before realizing that it cannot swim. "Psy-yai-yai-yai-yai-yai!" it screamed as it splashed around in the water, trying to stay above the surface.

It was saved however, as it was lifted out of the water by something it could not identify. It turned its head to get a glimpse of its savior, only to be met face-to-face with a huge, ferocious and mighty…Gyarados! "Psy-yai!" it exclaimed frantically as it thrashed around, trying to escape Gyarados' wrath.

Misty and Ash on the other hand, laughed at the duck's silly antics while Pikachu shook his head in exasperation. The rest of the pokemon in the pool look frightened at the sight of the giant atrocious pokemon swimming alongside them in the pool.

Misty noticed the pokemon in the pool's fearful expressions towards Gyarados and stepped forward. "Alright all of you listen up for a sec okay?" she called out at the pokemon in the pool.

The pokemon turned their attention away from Gyarados and towards Misty, all of them looking at her in anticipation, yet still with their guards kept up towards Gyarados.

"Now as you all have noticed; Gyarados is in the pool alongside you guys…" Misty started as she addressed the pokemon in the water.

The pokemon all nodded as they kept a close eye on Gyarados, who still had Psyduck thrashing around, hung on one of the fins on its head.

"Well the reason for that is, Gyarados is on our side now..." Misty started as she smiled sweetly in Gyarados' direction. "He saved my life yesterday after snapping out of his rage. It is our friend now, so don't be afraid 'kay you guys?" she smiled as she looked at all the pokemon in the pool.

"Yeah you guys," Ash started as he stepped forward. "Gyarados is our friend now, isn't that right Gyarados?" he innocently asked the giant sea serpent pokemon.

Gyarados however, looked down at Ash with its usual menacing and fear inducing gaze.

"Uh…" Ash mumbled as he took a few steps back. "Misty!" he called out as he jumped behind Misty, cowering behind her back.

"What is it Ash?" Misty asked innocently as she looked over her shoulder at Ash. "What's the matter?"

"Well, are you sure that everything is okay now with Gyarados?" Ash inquired as he looked over Misty's shoulder ar Gyarados. "It still looks kind of…angry…" he mumbled out as he kept a watchful eye on the atrocious pokemon.

"Hmmm…" Misty wondered as she frowned at Gyarados, deep in thought about the subject.

Gyarados on the other hand, bent down until it was right in front of Misty and Ash.

Psyduck quickly jumped off of Gyarados' head and scampered away fearfully.

"WHAAA…!" Ash fearfully exclaimed as Gyarados came closer and eventually stopped right in front of Ash's fear stricken face. It looked at Ash for a second, before it gave him a friendly smile, well the best looking smile a Gyarados can muster.

"Hey," Ash started as he slowly came out from behind Misty. "I think Gyarados is smiling." He concluded as he lifted his hand and slowly placed it on Gyarados' head, petting it gently.

Gyarados roared in pleasure and rubbed its head affectionately up against Ash's hand.

"Well I take it that everything is just fine…" Misty concluded as she stood with her hands on her hips, looking on as Ash petted her newly acquired Gyarados. She turned towards all the other pokemon in the pool. "Anyway, since all of you know now, Gyarados is our friend. So now we can all have some fun for the day!" she yelled excitedly as she pumped the air with her fist.

The pokemon all roared their approval as they splashed around in the water, lead by a dancing Totodile right in front.

"Alright Gyarados," Ash started as he pulled his hand back away from the sea serpent pokemon. "You can go and play with the pokemon too."

Gyarados nodded and made its way back to the middle of the pool where all the other pokemon were gathered.

"Pikapi," Pikachu exclaimed as he tugged on Ash's jean.

"Huh?" Ash mumbled as he looked down towards Pikachu. "Oh hey buddy, what's up?"

"Pika Pikachu," Pikachu exclaimed while executing some swimming motions.

"Oooh, you want to swim and play with all the pokemon in the pool too?" Ash asked his yellow friend as he crouched down next to him.

"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded intently.

"Well okay," Ash nodded with a smile. "Let me just go and get your swimming tube out of my bag 'kay?" he said as he walked towards the living room where his backpack stood against the couch he slept on the previous night. Along the way, a thought came to him and he stopped dead in his tracks. "Hey Misty?" he called out as he turned towards Misty.

"Huh?" Misty mumbled as she looked up to Ash. She was watching the pokemon play together in the pool. "Oh yeah Ash?" she inquired as she frowned at him.

"You wouldn't happen to have a big swimming tube lying around somewhere would you?" Ash asked Misty as he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah over there in that cupboard Ash." Misty said as she pointed to a blue cupboard in the corner of the room. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh no just curious, you don't mind if I use one of them, do you?" Ash asked Misty with a friendly grin plastered on his face.

"Nope, go ahead." Misty said as she turned back to the pokemon in the pool. "I don't use them that much anyway since I'm a great swimmer you know." She added matter-of-factly.

"Thanks a lot Misty!" Ash yelled as he darted of towards the living room.

He reached the couch on which he slept the previous night, picked his backpack up and rummaged through it.

"Now where is it…?" he muttered while searching through his backpack. "Aha!" he exclaimed as he pulled a deflated little red swimming tube with four parallel stripes on it. "Here it is: Pikachu's tube." He said as he started making his way back towards the pool area.

When Ash got back to the pool; all the water pokemon were playing around in the pool. Psyduck was now also in the pool, wearing swimming wings seeing as it couldn't swim. But Misty was nowhere to be seen in the room.

"Hmmm…I wonder where Misty is…" Ash thought out loud as he looked around the room for any sign of Misty. Sadly he didn't see any trace of her, but he did lay his eyes on the blue cupboard in the corner of the room. "Oops I almost forgot!" he cried out as he made his way over to the cupboard. "Hmmm…" he mumbled as he opened the cupboard, revealing a wide collection of both black and green-blue tubes. He went through the collection of tubes until he found one he was satisfied with. "This one should do it…" he said as he closed the cupboard and made his way back towards the pool.

Pikachu was sitting on the edge of the pool, looking longingly at all of the pokemon playing in the pool. "Pika," he sighed miserably.

"Hey Pikachu come here buddy!" Ash yelled as he sat down on the ground with the two swimming tubes in his lap.

Pikachu turned towards Ash and as soon as he saw his little tube; he scampered hurriedly over to his master. "Pikapi!" he exclaimed as he came to a halt right before Ash.

"Alright buddy," Ash laughed as Pikachu crawled up onto his shoulder. "Now let's get this tube blown up!" he exclaimed excitedly and slowly started blowing Pikachu's swimming tube up.

"Pika Pika, Pikapi?" Pikachu inquired as he pointed to the green-blue tube situated on Ash's lap.

Ash stopped blowing air into the tube for a moment to answer Pikachu. "Oh, yeah right, would you start blowing that one up for me so long buddy?" he asked-ordered before resuming his task to blow Pikachu's tube up.

"Pika," Pikachu exclaimed and then started blowing the tube up, but the poor little mouse had a very, very long way to go. The tube was much bigger than his own and the fact that he had a much lower lung capacity than Ash didn't help the cause that much either…

"There…all done!" Ash exclaimed a while later as he stood and held the now blown up tube in his hands. "How are you coming along buddy?" he asked Pikachu as he looked down to check on his progress.

Pikachu sat on the ground, panting heavily and looked like he was completely drained of energy. You could see that Pikachu has given this task his all. "Pika," he exclaimed as he held up the tube, looking very proud of his feat.

The tube in Pikachu's possession still looked exactly the same: Airless. The yellow mouse's attempts proved ineffective as his task of blowing the tube full of air did almost the very least it could.

Ash sighed as he gazed at the airless tube. "Guess I'm still going to be blowing for a while then…" he mumbled aggravatedly.

"Pika," Pikachu claimed as he vigorously pointed to his own tube in Ash's hands.

"Oh right…" Ash said as he bent down onto his knees again. "Here you go…" Ash said as he put the tube over Pikachu's head and pulled it down onto his little body.

Once the tube was secured around his body, Pikachu placed the other tube on the floor. "Pika Pika," he exclaimed as he motioned towards the pool.

Ash sighed once more as he picked Pikachu up, made his way over towards the edge of the pool and gently laid him on the water. "There you go buddy." He said as he got back on his feet.

"Pika Pikachu," Pikachu happily exclaimed as he paddled his way over to where Totodile and Corsola were playing, intent on joining in on the fun.

Ash watched all the pokemon in the pool for a moment, before turning around. "Alright, back to blowing up that tube!" he said more to himself than anyone else as he made his way back over to where the almost airless tube was laying on the floor.

Continuing his seemingly endless task of blowing air into the swimming tubes; Ash couldn't help but wonder where Misty disappeared to. He looked over towards the doorway that leads to the living area of the Gym, hoping to spot Misty. Sadly, there wasn't any sign of her. _'Hmmm…she's probably taking a nap…'_ he concluded in his mind as he kept blowing air into the tube…

After quite a while, the tube was finally filled with are, but there still wasn't any sign of Misty.

Ash sat on the ground next to the blown up tube, depleted of breath. "Phew, I'm glad that's over with…" he sighed exasperatedly as he got back up onto his feet and unclipped a pokeball from his belt. "Alright Bayleef: I choose you!" he yelled as he threw the pokeball through the air.

The pokeball opened in the air and in a bright flash of light, a green quadrupedal pokemon with a giant leaf on its head and bulbs around its neck, revealed itself.

"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she looked around her. "Bay Bay!" she exclaimed excitedly when she spotted Ash behind her and immediately charged towards him.

"Wait, Bayleef hold o-"was all Ash could muster out before he was trampled backwards by a rampaging Bayleef.

"Bay Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she happily nuzzled herself up against Ash.

"C-Cut it out Bayleef, that tickles!" Ash yelled out in between laughs as he tried to push Bayleef off of him.

"Bay," Bayleef nodded happily as obediently got off of Ash and stood before him.

"Alright Bayleef," Ash started as he got back up again. "Do you wanna play with all the other pokemon in the pool?" he asked Bayleef as he gently patted her on the head.

"Bay," Bayleef inquired as she looked behind her at the pool filled with all of the water pokemon and Pikachu. "Bay Bay Bay," she excitedly nodded as she turned back to Ash.

"Okay, but you're going to be swimming with the tube, just to be safe okay?" Ash stated as he picked the tube up and started making his way over towards the pool, with Bayleef in tow.

"Okay Bayleef, climb in!" Ash ordered Bayleef as he placed the tube on the water and held it in place so it didn't float away without its cargo.

"Bay," Bayleef obliged as she slowly and carefully put her legs through the inner hole of the tube.

"There you go Bayleef." Ash concluded satisfiedly as he took a few steps back.

"Bay," Bayleef happily thanked Ash and started paddling towards the group of pokemon consisting out of Staryu, Horsea, Totodile and Starmie, who were in conversation with one another.

Ash smiled at the sight in front of him. All of the pokemon were happily playing together. From a small Horsea to a giant Gyarados; all of them were friends in that pool, the way it should be all over the world. He made his way over to the pavilion and took a seat in the front row.

"Oooh, so that's what you needed the tube for." Ash heard an all too familiar voice echoing through his ears.

"Yep," Ash started as he turned his head towards the source of the voice, Misty. "Where did yo-"Ash stopped midway through with his mouth now hanging open.

In front of him stood Misty, wearing her infamous red two piece bikini and a Masterball-looking beach ball tucked under her right arm.

"I-I-I…" Ash stuttered out clumsily as he stared at Misty with wide eyes and a dull look in them. He reverted back to dreamfully staring at her with his mouth slightly agape when he could only mutter out a few syllables.

"Hey Ash," Misty started as she frowned at Ash and his weird, quiet behavior that occurred all of a sudden. "Ash!" she yelled out at him when he didn't respond the first time.

The last call did it and Ash immediately snapped out of his trance. In order to avoid a repetition of the staring that just occurred; Ash decided to direct his gaze towards the ground.

"Ash, are you okay?" Misty inquired with a skeptical frown as she tilted her head to the side towards Ash. "You seem a bit jittery…" she added as she lifted her brow at him.

"I'm fine!" Ash yelled out as he stubbornly crossed his arms. "By the way…where were you this whole time?" he asked Misty rather rudely as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye, finding it a bit too hard to look at her with too much intent.

"Well if you must know," Misty started as she glared at Ash, beginning to become irritated by his rude tone of voice towards her. "It looked like fun to play in the water with all of the pokemon, so I decided to join them. So I headed to my room to change into my bikini."

"Wait, that couldn't have taken you more than 10 minutes?" Ash inquired, seemingly snapped out of his uncomfortable predicament concerning Misty's choice of clothing.

"I wasn't done Ash…" Misty rudely replied as she glared at Ash with her arms crossed.

"Oh…oops…" Ash mumbled out.

"Now as I was saying," Misty started again. "I was on my way to my room when I heard a phone ringing, so I headed towards the phone." She explained.

"So who called?" Ash asked curiously, now intrigued by this short little story.

"Would you be quiet, I'm trying to tell you!" Misty yelled irritatedly at Ash because of his constant interference.

"Wha okay okay!" Ash fearfully yelled as he shook his hands defensively in front of him.

"Anyway," Misty started as she regrouped. "So I answered the phone and found Daisy's face on the other side!" she yelled in a high pitched voice, sounding abnormally excited about hearing from her sisters.

"How are they doing, and why are you so happy about it? Usually you hate hearing from them?" Ash quizzically asked Misty as he lifted his brow in astonishment.

"Hmmm…well, normally I don't!" Misty stated as she crossed her arms, deep in thought. "But that's only because they usually tease me or give me a lecture about '_beauty and style and grace_'." She continued as she made funny gestures when she talked about the emphasized words. "But that wasn't what this phone call was about…" she lastly added as a big smile made its way onto her face.

"Well what did you guys talk about then?" Ash curiously asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"Well you know; the usual 'how are you', 'what's new', 'how's the Gym doing', blah blah blah…" Misty answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh…well that's ni-"Ash started responding.

"Wait wait," Misty interrupted. "You didn't hear the best part!" she continued excitedly.

"Uhm…okay…?" A very confused-looking Ash responded as motioned for Misty to continue.

"Well, we were talking about random things involving the Gym, when Daisy interrupted me…and told me that they were coming home in a few days!" Misty squealed ecstatically with her hands clasped in front of her in excitement.

"That's great ne-"Ash started, before he gave the predicament some thought. "Wait, how is that a good thing? I thought you couldn't stand being around your sisters?" he asked Misty with complete confusion evident in his eyes.

"Yeah, that's true…" Misty stated with her right hand placed on her chin, obviously giving it some thought. "But the good news is that we can head out and start traveling again!"

"That's aweso-"Ash started his celebration before something clicked in his mind. "Wait…what about the Gym?"

Misty face-palmed and then sighed exasperatedly. "That's why my sisters are here, to run the Gym! I'll admit that I'll miss the Gym and mall the pokemon staying here, but if I want to become the greatest water pokemon master in the world, I've gotta get out there and win!" she determinedly exclaimed as she confidently held her fist in the air.

"Well you sure are right about that." Ash agreed with a smile. "If I want to become a pokemon master, I'll have to improve my skills and beat the best!" he yelled with a determined fist pump.

"That's the spirit Ash." Misty said with a light giggle at Ash's show of determination. "But for now," she added as she turned her gaze towards the pokemon playing in the pool. "I think I'll have some fun and join the pokemon in the water." She continued as she started making her way over towards the pool.

"I think I'll join you guys too." Ash declared as he made his way after Misty, but came to a halt when he ran face first into Misty's waiting-palm.

"Oh no you're not, the medicine on those wounds have got to dry up first Ash Ketchum." Misty ordered as she started pushing Ash back towards the pavilion.

"But Misty-"Ash started his argument, only to be thrushed down back onto his seat.

Misty dusted her hands off, satisfied that Ash will not disobey her and then made her way back towards the pool.

Ash on the other hand, sat with his elbows on his legs and his head resting on his hands, moping about his predicament. "Wow…isn't this just great…" he mumbled.

**[A little while later…]**

Misty was happily playing with all of the pokemon in the pool, splashing about and having tons of fun. Ash on the other hand, was still sitting, albeit on a bench near the pool. He had changed into his black swimming trunks in the meantime though, and was now just staring at everything occurring in the pool.

"I wish I could just swim already." Ash moaned as he sat with his head resting on his hands. He caught sight of Misty and immediately found himself staring at her as a faint red color started coloring his cheeks. _'Wow…Misty is so…beautiful.'_ Ash thought to himself as his lips started parting slightly out of amazement.

Misty noticed Ash staring in her direction and decided to call his name, but there wasn't any reply. "Hmmm, I wonder what's with him this time…" she wondered out loud as she started making her way over to the side of the pool.

Ash was too deep in thought to even notice Misty getting out of the water. _'To think that she almost got killed…if I didn't get her out of there, she wouldn't be here right now…'_ he sub-consciously clenched his fists at the thought as Misty started making her way to Ash, unbeknownst to him. _'I promise Misty, that I will never let anything happen to you…ever.'_ He made a silent oath to himself, still in his own little world.

Meanwhile, Misty had made her way to right in front of Ash, but he still didn't seem to respond. Lifting her brow at him, she waved her hand in front of his face a few times.

The waving seemed to do the trick as Ash snapped out of it. "Huh…" he mumbled as he looked up, to find himself looking right at Misty's chest. His eyes grew wide in surprise and he tumbled backwards and fell head-first onto the floor.

"Uhm Ash?" Misty inquired as she stood over Ash, frowning down at him. "Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay!" Ash yelled as he got back up, trying to look anywhere but at Misty because of his pink cheeks.

'Well okay…" Misty figured. "Anyway, I think your cuts are nice and dry now, so you can join us in the pool if you want to." She informed Ash as she started making her way back towards the pool.

Ash just stood there, staring at Misty's figure which to his surprise, he hadn't noticed had gotten very, very appealing.

Misty looked back over her shoulder to see Ash standing still. "Well," she started as she turned back to him. "Are you coming or not?" she impatiently asked as she stood with her hands on her hips.

"Uh, right…I'm coming!" Ash yelled as he jogged after Misty.

The two of them jumped into the water and the fun then began as the two humans splashed around with the pokemon, using Gyarados as a giant slide and saving Psyduck from drowning, all in an afternoon's work. Dinner went by without much fuss as Misty put all the Gym's pokemon back into their respective pokeballs. Ash also recalled Kingler, Totodile and Bayleef to their pokeballs and the day came to a close as Ash once again passed out on the couch instead of a real bed, with Pikachu obediently sleeping next to his master and Misty in her own bed upstairs, sleep engulfing all of them after a day full of fun and relaxation…

**A bit of realization in this chapter eh? Feelings are starting to surface in some way or another.**

**Thanks for reading and please review! I am begging here!**

**Until next time!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Well, uhm…wow. I'm sooo sorry for keeping you guys up for almost 2 months!**

**Life's just been really hectic these last three months. There was university tests to take, applications to fill out etc. The good news is that I've been provisionally accepted for next year, WHOOHOO!**

**But, in order to have achieved that; I had to really study hard to get good results. And it doesn't get easier…This coming week is going to be tough because of the final exams here in South Africa. So, I won't get a lot of writing done, since these marks count 75% of my year mark.**

**That wasn't all that kept me busy, though. After careful consideration; I decided to rewrite most of Chapters 1 – 6! I'm posting them along with this chapter, so the people that have been reading this story from the beginning, be sure to check that out, if you want to.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews for the previous chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing ways: Chapter 14: Returning conflict:**

"PI – KA – CHUUU,"

"WHAAA…!" Misty screeched as she sat up in her bed and fell off the side in shock. "Ugh…what the heck was that…" she mumbled as she groggily sat up on her knees, rubbing her head. She looked around the room for any sign of the disturbance and her eyes then fell on the door of her room, which had an unusual yellow glow shining underneath from the other side. "Hmmm…I wonder what that is…" she wondered out loud as she slowly got back up onto her feet and started walking towards the door. However, when she walked past the mirror, her eyes grew wide and did a double take. Her reflection was staring back at her, wearing a pair of yellow panties and a sky blue strap t-shirt. She cringed as she darted towards the closet situated in the corner of the room and started rummaging through it, in search of some less revealing clothing. "That's better…" she mumbled as she pulled a pair light blue shorts over her legs.

"CHUUUU!" could be heard through the building once more, accompanied by bright yellow flashes of light through the hallway in which Misty's room was situated in.

"Hmmm…that sounds like Pikachu." Misty figured as she stepped out of the room, looking to both sides of the hallway to determine which way the ruckus was coming from.

"CHUUU," the sound once again rang through the halls of the Gym.

"I think it's coming from that way…" Misty mumbled to herself as she turned to her right. _'That leads to the pool!'_ she thought as she started running down the hall, sparks still lighting up everything…

"That's awesome Pikachu!" Ash yelled from one side of the pool. "Just keep those Thundershocks coming, buddy!"

"Pika Pika," Pikachu obeyed his trainer and then turned back to face his sparring partner, Kingler.

"Great job, Kingler," Ash complimented his loyal crab-like pokemon. "Just keep trying to dodge those electric attacks and I'll guarantee you'll be a whole lot stronger the next time we have a battle!"

"Cookie Cookie," Kingler exclaimed as it shook its giant pincer through the air determinedly, until Totodile tackled it from the side, sending it flying into the pool.

"Hey Totodile, what's the big idea!?" Ash yelled at his crocodile-like pokemon in annoyance.

"Toto-Dile," Totodile exclaimed while it danced on the spot and then its demeanor changed completely as it took a competitive fighting stance, facing a confused-looking Pikachu.

"Pika," Pikachu frowned at Totodile. "Pikapi?" he inquired as he turned to Ash, awaiting his orders.

"I guess Totodile wants to train too…" Ash figured as he stood with his hands on his hips, looking over at the focused Totodile. "Well…I guess you cou-"

"Hold it right there, Ash Ketchum!" a familiar voice called out.

"Huh…?" Ash mumbled as he turned towards the source of the yelling. "Oh, it's you, Misty." He remarked at his traveling companion.

Misty however, had an agitated look on her face as she slowly made her way over to Ash and Pikachu.

"What's up?" Ash asked her as he tilted his head to the side and lifted his brow.

Grabbing Ash by the ear; Misty started pulling the poor boy across the floor.

"Ouw ouw, not the ear, not the ear…" Ash muttered as he got pulled after Misty.

"Now…stand still!" Misty yelled as she forcefully planted Ash on the ground next to Totodile, who was now dancing excitedly because of all the commotion.

"Geez Misty, what gives?" Ash complained as he rubbed his throbbing ear with tearful eyes.

"What gives?" Misty angrily stated as she glared at Ash. "What 'GIVES' is you trying to get Totodile to battle!" she yelled with her hands on her hips.

"I don't really get what the problem is…" Ash plainly stated as he scratched the back of his head in confusion.

"The problem is that Totodile isn't allowed to strain itself!" Misty yelled at Ash. "Don't you remember that Nurse Joy told you to let Totodile rest?"

"Of course I remember!" Ash yelled back, slightly irritated. "But look at Totodile," Ash said as he pointed to the Big Jaw pokemon. "It looks just fine…and besides, a little trainer will help Totodile get healthy again!" he triumphantly stated with his nose pointed into the air.

"Totodile will not partake in any training!" Misty ordered as she folded her arms over her chest.

"But Misty," Ash started his protest.

"No buts." Misty concluded as she glared at Ash. "You heard what Nurse Joy said, Totodile has to get its rest."

"Fine…" Ash muttered out as he pouted, looking away from Misty and crossing his arms in disgust. He turned then turned to Totodile. "Sorry Totodile, I guess you're sitting this one out buddy."

"Toto…" Totodile sadly exclaimed as its shoulders slumped in disappointment.

"Sorry, Totodile, but it is Nurse Joy's orders." Misty sympathized with Totodile as she stood on her knees in front of it, gently rubbing its jaw. "Now why don't you just sit and relax. I'll let Politoed out of its pokeball to keep you company if you want?" she politely suggested.

"Toto – Dile," Totodile happily nodded and did a little dance in approval of the suggestion. It has made quick friends with the lovable Frog pokemon because of their sharing love and interest in rhythm and dancing.

"Alright, it's settled then." Misty cheerfully concluded as she got back onto her feet. "As for the two of you…" she said, referring to Pikachu and Ash.

Ash and Pikachu both gulped and rubbed the back of their heads simultaneously.

"Hehe…uh, what's up Misty?" Ash asked with a nervous grin on his face.

"Pika Pika Pikachupi," Pikachu copied Ash's antics and grinned nervously at Misty.

"The two of you better have a very good reason as to why you woke me up at 5:54 in the morning!" Misty agitatedly yelled at the dynamic duo, clearly irritated at the rude awakening earlier in the morning.

"It was his fault!"

"Pika Pika,"

Both Ash and Pikachu turned to the other and pointed at each other, blaming the ruckus on the other.

"Me?" Ash yelled at his yellow partner while pointing to himself. "How can it be my fault? I wasn't the one that made the noise!"

"Pika Pika, Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu protested as he pointed to Ash.

"Well, come to think of it," Misty interrupted the two of them. "I really doubt that Pikachu will attack like that without orders, unless it was some sort of emergency, which it obviously wasn't! So that means…" she trailed off as she turned her attention solely to Ash, who gulped in response. "It was YOUR fault!" she yelled as she pointed to the poor, startled boy.

"Hey, now wait just a sec-"Ash started protesting, walking backwards as Misty slowly and devilishly approached him. "M-Misty…? W-What are you doing?" he nervously stuttered out with fear evident in his eyes.

"Now Ash," Misty said in a playful tone of voice as she inched ever closer to Ash. "You know it's not nice to wake other people up." She sweetly informed him as she gently grabbed hold of the brim of Ash's hat.

"I-I…" Ash stuttered out, feeling very flustered as his cheeks started darkening red.

"Yes Ash?" Misty lifted her brow as she smirked at the stumbling trainer.

"I…uh…I'm sorry?" Ash stumbled out as he carefully watched Misty's movements.

"Hmmm…I'm afraid sorry won't do it Ash…" Misty smirked mischievously. "What you did…was very…RUDE!"

And with that, Misty pushed Ash firmly against his chest, causing the poor pokemon trainer to stumble backwards into the pool.

"GYAAAH," Ash frantically yelled as he made contact with the rather cold water beneath him. His head reappeared rather quickly though, as he spat some water out of his mouth. Looking up, his eyes fell on Misty, who was standing over the edge of the pool in smirking down at him.

"So…how's the water Ash?" Misty asked as she stifled a giggle with her hand covering her mouth.

"Hardy Har-Har…" Ash grumpily mumbled as he slowly started making his way over towards her, until he noticed something. "Hey…where's my hat!?"

"…Your hat?" Misty sweetly asked as she tried to stop snickering.

"Yeah my hat…where the heck is it!?" Ash yelled as he looked around him to try and spot his hat maybe floating on the water. He disappeared in the water again and searched around below the surface for any sign of his precious hat. Sadly, he didn't find any trace of his hat and swam back up to the surface.

"Find anything, Ash?" Misty asked the pokemon trainer as he slowly started making his way over towards her again.

"No…I wonder where it could be…" Ash wondered out loud as he rested is arms on the edge of the pool, frowning deep in thought.

"Hmm…well…" Misty hummed as she put an all too familiar object on her head.

Ash noticed this and looked up at Misty. His eyes grew wide when he saw his precious Pokemon League hat, sitting comfortably on top of Misty's head! "Hey! Give that back!" he yelled as he jumped out of the pool in pursuit of his hat.

Misty smirked at Ash and took a few steps back. "Nuh uh uh..." she informed Ash as she shook her finger in a 'no'- fashion in front of the boy's face. "Not so fast…I think I'll hold onto this for a while…" she said in a singful manner as she drew her fingers along the brim of the hat.

"Hey, that's not fair, Misty!" Ash objected as he lunged at Misty, who in return merely stepped out of the way, causing Ash to fall flat on his face. He quickly recovered though, and glared at her in irritation. "Give me back my hat! It's mine!" he once again tried as he closed in on Misty.

"Oh come on, Ashy-boy." Misty teased and giggled at her own little game.

"No!" Ash yelled as he lunged at her again, becoming more agitated because of the little nickname that Misty gave him. "Now give…it…back!" he yelled as he made a grab for her, but missed her completely.

Unfortunately for Ash, Misty now stood directly behind him. In front of him was the ever-present pool from which he recently just emerged from.

"So, that's how you wanna play, eh, Ash?" Misty maniacally smirked as she put her hands on Ash's back.

Ash visibly gulped as he realized the trouble he currently found himself in. He was facing the pool and was off balance. A simple movement from behind would send him falling right back into the water. So it was safe to say that he was at Misty's mercy. "Uh…now Misty let's not do anything rash…" he nervously laughed.

"Oh Ash," Misty again started in a singing voice. "I'm afraid it's too late for that…" she maniacally said as she applied some pressure on Ash's back.

Unfortunately for Ash; that little pressure was all that was needed as he fell, right back into the cold water. His head quickly reappeared from the water, an agitated look evident on his face as he glared at Misty.

"Having fun, Ash?" Misty giggled as she moved Ash's hat around on her head, making sure that it was in the right position and to further annoy the steaming boy, of course.

Ash growled at Misty, who was giggling at his predicament again. His attention was then attracted by Pikachu however, who was rolling on the floor because of laughter. He slowly and quietly paddled over to his yellow partner, who was oblivious because of his laughing state. "Oh Pikachu…" he said in a playful, yet maniacal tone.

Pikachu immediately ceased his laughing as his eyes grew wide when he looked up and saw his trainer with a devilish look in his eye.

"I see you're enjoying the show, eh?" Ash asked Pikachu with an evil smirk on his face as he hovered over the poor yellow mouse.

Pikachu gulped as his master got closer and closer. "Pika Pikachu," he exclaimed with a nervous chuckle as he held his paws defensively in front of him.

His attempts were futile however, because Ash was now mere inches above him, with a devilish smirk playing on his lips.

"You know Pikachu; the water's actually kind of nice…" Ash started as he looked down at his nervous little pokemon. "I think you should see for yourself!" he yelled as he grabbed hold of Pikachu and pulled the poor defenseless mouse down into the water with him.

Pikachu's head emerged out of the water after a while. "Pika," he complained as he started making his way over to the side of the pool.

"Now, wasn't that fun, Pikachu?" Ash asked as he shook his head to dry his hair a bit.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu exasperatedly sighed as he got back onto solid ground. The yellow mouse didn't really enjoy being in the water. His fur didn't quite agree with being wet. Sure he swam all the time, albeit with his swimming tube, which meant the majority of his body stayed dry. He stood on all fours and started shaking his body to get rid of the excess water in his fur. "Pikapi…" he exclaimed as he turned back to his master in the pool with an annoyed look on his face.

"Hehe," Ash nervously giggled as Pikachu approached him with sparks emitting from the yellow mouse's cheeks. "Now Pikachu, we were having a bit of fun, eh, buddy?" he tried pleading with the yellow mouse.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu stated as he put his paw in the water, intent on giving his master the shock of his life.

Kingler had gotten out of the water in the meantime, for safety reasons.

"Pi – Ka – Ch-"Pikachu started his Thunderbolt sequence.

"Alright, you two, knock it off." Misty interrupted Ash and Pikachu's little "war". "As much as I would want to see Pikachu get his revenge; I'm hungry." She announced. "So, get dry, you two; we're going to town to get some breakfast." She ordered and then headed back upstairs towards her room.

Ash merely sighed and climbed out of the pool, relieved to be safe from Pikachu's wrath for the moment. He now stared another dilemma in the face, however. 'Oh man, my clothes are all wet." He complained.

Ash was indeed soaking wet. The silver however, was that he was still wearing his swimming trunks from yesterday, so he at least had a dry pair of pants safely tucked away in his backpack. He also wore his white shirt with an orange zigzag pattern around the middle, so his black shirt was also safe and dry in his backpack.

"Cookie Cookie," Kingler happily exclaimed as it jumped back into the water.

"Toto – Dile," Totodile added as it happily danced on the floor, or rather above the floor in the air.

"Alright, you two," Ash addressed Kingler and Totodile. "Since we're probably going to a restaurant; I'm afraid that I'll have to put you guys back into your pokeballs until we get back." He explained.

"Cookie Cookie," Kingler nodded in understanding.

"Toto – Dile," Totodile agreed with a little mid-air dance.

"Thanks for understanding, you guys." Ash said as he smiled at his two Water type pokemon. "I promise that we'll play together as soon as we get back." He added as he grabbed Kingler and Totodile's respective pokeballs on the bench next to the pool. "Return, you two," He pronounced as the two Water type pokemon were retracted into their respective pokeballs.

"Ash," Misty called out from the doorway, which caused Ash to turn towards her. "Well," she started as she placed her hands on her hips. "Aren't you going to change? I want to eat, you know." She said as she glared at the boy.

She was wearing her normal attire again today, which consistent of short jean shorts with suspenders and a light yellow sleeveless shirt which exposed her midriff. But, one significant piece of clothing that she was sporting was Ash's hat which was on her head.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Ash said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Just give me a few minutes!" he yelled over his shoulder as he made his way towards the living quarters.

A little while later, after Ash had gotten dressed, brushed his teeth etc.; he, Misty and Pikachu were walking through the streets of Cerulean City, on their way to some breakfast.

"So Misty," Ash started as he turned to Misty with Pikachu perched on his shoulder. "Where are we going?" he curiously asked, seeing as he didn't have a clue as to where Misty was leading them.

"Well," Misty started as she placed a finger on her chin. "I was thinking that we could eat at that restaurant where we ate yesterday, since it's not too far from here and the food is not too bad either." She suggested.

"Sure!" Ash called out, suddenly excited about the prospect of food. "Come on, Pikachu; let's hurry!" he yelled as he started running ahead, but he soon retraced his steps back to Misty. "Uh, where is the restaurant again?" he sheepishly asked as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Misty and Pikachu both sighed in aggravation at Ash's rushful behavior.

"Come on," Misty instructed as she started walking down the road. "Follow me, and DON'T run ahead!" she scowled. "It's rude to leave a lady on her own, you know…" she stated matter-of-factly.

"Whatever…" Ash mumbled as he crossed his arms in annoyance.

The rest of the trip to the restaurant was silent as Ash was grouchy over the pace at which they were moving towards the food the fact that Misty was deliberately walking slower to irritate Ash, still with his hat on her head. They walked into the restaurant, which was again, almost empty, with just two of the many tables occupied.

"Well, I guess we have a lot of seating options…" Ash remarked as he looked around the restaurant.

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed from Ash's shoulders, mimicking his master's actions of scanning the crowd.

"Well, we're sitting here, then." Misty concluded as she sat down at a table which was situated relatively in the center of the restaurant.

Ash and Pikachu shrugged at each other before sitting down across Misty.

"Man, am I hungry." Ash declared as he rubbed over his empty stomach.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu agreed as he sat down next to Ash.

"I'm kind of hungry myself." Misty added from the other side of the table.

The three of them noticed the same waitress with the red hair that served them yesterday; approach them, scribbling something in her notebook.

The waitress stopped in front of their table, still scribbling in her little notebook. "Hello, and welcome to th-"she started, before she looked up and saw who was sitting in front of her.

"Hi there," Ash innocently greeted the waitress and waved at her, with Misty and Pikachu also bearing friendly, innocent smiles.

"Uh, hehehe…" the waitress nervously giggled as her forehead started to sweat.

"Are you okay, Miss?" Ash asked as he lifted his brow at the weird-behaving waitress.

"I uh…" the waitress stuttered out as she nervously stared at the two children and Pikachu in front of her. "Here you go!" she quickly said as she put two menus down on the table. "I'll be with you shortly to take your orders!" she quickly yelled as disappeared into the door which led to the kitchen at the speed of light. She came to a halt before her two comrades; the blue-haired waiter and the cat-like chef.

"What's up with you?" James skeptically asked as he stared at Jessie with a lifted brow.

"The…the…" Jessie exclaimed in between breathes.

"Yes?" James urged her on. "Continue?"

"Yeah, spit it owt, Jess." Meowth exclaimed from the other side of the oven.

"It's…the…twerps!" Jessie finally managed to say in between her panting.

"Da twerps…?" Meowth skeptically asked. "Are yous sure about that, Jess?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Jessie yelled as she brought her fist down, connecting it with Meowth's head, causing the cat-like pokemon to splash down onto the floor.

"So, you're saying that the twerps are in this building at this very moment?" James asked, interrupting Jessie and Meowth.

"Yes!" Jessie yelled as she turned to face James. "They're sitting out there!" she yelled as she pointed to the door leading to the tables of the restaurant, as well as Ash, Misty and the "prized" Pikachu.

"Well, what are we waitin' fowr!?" Meowth excitedly exclaimed, seemingly having recovered from Jessie's earlier attack. He then made his way towards the door, intent on grabbing Pikachu as soon as possible, until however; he was grabbed by James from behind.

"HOLD IT!" James ordered as he pulled Meowth back to him. He then turned to Jessie and pulled himself, Meowth and her into a little huddle.

"What gives, James?" a startled Jessie asked as she frowned at James's sudden weird behavior.

"Yeah, Jimbo, what's goin' on?" Meowth also asked.

"Wait a second!" Jessie suddenly exclaimed. "I know what's going on!" she declared.

"Ya do?" Meowth asked as he turned to Jessie.

"Of course, this is the same thing that James ranted on about yesterday!" Jessie informed Meowth. "About how we don't have enough money to keep chasing the twerps around, remember?" she added.

"Oh, that!" Meowth exclaimed. "Yeah, I remember that!" he added as he turned to face James.

"Well, for your information;" James started as he crossed his arms in annoyance. "That was not what I was going to say." He said with a hurt huff.

"Then what did you want to say?" Jessie now curiously asked.

"Well, I WANTED to say that, if we want to capture Pikachu; we would need a plan." James informed Jessie and Meowth.

"So, let's think of one, then!" Jessie excitedly blurted out.

"I'm way ahead of you…" James informed both Jessie and Meowth.

"What do ya mean, Jimbo?" Meowth asked as he looked at James with a raised brow.

"Oh, you'll see…" James said with a maniacal grin, which caused Jessie and Meowth's curiosity to only increase that much more as James started explaining his brilliant, secretive plan to his team members…

Meanwhile, Ash, Misty and Pikachu were patiently waiting for their waitress to return. They had already decided on what each of them wanted and were now just idly chatting away.

"So, Misty," Ash started as he frowned at Misty.

"Yes Ash, what is it?" Misty asked as she stared back at Ash with a raised brow, curious to what Ash was frowning at her for.

"Well, could you like, give me my hat back!" Ash exploded as he glared Misty in annoyance.

"Hmmm…" Misty exclaimed as she slid her fingers over the brim of Ash's hat, which comfortably sitting on her head. "No." was her short, yet powerful reply.

"No?" Ash repeated in disbelief. "But, why not, I mean, it's my hat to start with!" he enlightened Misty with a scowl.

"And your point is?" Misty asked nonchalantly as she played with the point of the menu in front of her.

"My POINT is that I'm going to get sunburn!" Ash explained. "I don't want my brain fried, you know!"

"Pffft…" Misty huffed as she waved Ash's comment off. "Your head is emptier than a Ho-OOOOOOOLE!" she wanted to state before the ground gave away below her, causing the last letters of the word to be dramatically exaggerated as she, Ash and Pikachu all fell into the darkness, accompanied by loud screaming, of a hole below them…

**A little cliff hanger, I guess…What will happen to Ash, Misty and Pikachu!? What is this mysterious, yet very unsurprising predicament they find themselves in? Stay tuned!**

**I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter and the rewritten first six chapters!**

**Until next time!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Well, here's another chapter for you guys.**

**I guess a bit more action in this one**

**I cut the chapter short and saw this as a good place to do it.**

**Not really much to say, except that the exams are keeping me pretty busy and my writing time is really limited.**

**Please review you guys: Criticize, complement, anything! Seeing the review count increasing really boosts my motivation to write!**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 15: Same old tricks, same old trade:**

Ash, Misty and Pikachu continued to fall down the dark hole that suddenly appeared below them in the restaurant, still screaming in fear and shock. Misty eventually landed on the dusty ground with a thud, accompanied by Ash moments later, both of them knocked unconscious because of the impact. Pikachu however, did not join them in falling. He was caught out of the air before he met the hard ground below.

Pikachu slowly opened one of his eyes to scan his surroundings when he noticed that he never really made impact with the ground. "Pika?" he exclaimed as he looked around. He then noticed Ash lying on the floor below him. "Pikapi!" he exclaimed as he tried to get to his master's side, but he was stopped however, by the steel railings of a cage.

"Whoa, slow down der, Pikachu." Meowth, still dressed in his chef outfit, exclaimed from behind Pikachu.

"Yeah, where do you think you're going?" Jessie, also still dressed in her waitress uniform, added from next to Meowth.

Pikachu immediately turned around, only to find himself locked in a cage, held by none other than Jessie. "Pika Pika?" he asked as he looked at the duo with confusion in his eyes.

"Uh…" Ash mumbled as he slowly started regaining consciousness. He groggily sat up and rubbed his head. He then looked up to see Jessie and Meowth, along with a caged Pikachu in Jessie's arms, in front of him."Hey!" he called out. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Prepare for trouble, you've been deceived!" Jessie started as she turned her attention towards Ash, with Misty also regaining consciousness next to him, and took off her waitress outfit to reveal her normal Team Rocket attire underneath.

"Make it double, look at all this financial relief!" James squealed as he suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, carrying multiple crisp bills of probably-hard-earned money.

"To protect the world from devastation," Jessie continued as she kicked James from the side, interrupting his little "celebration".

"Yeah, we know it already!" Misty interrupted, causing the three Team Rocket members to look at her in astonishment. "You say the same stuff over and over, day after day!" she scowled, slightly irritated at being rudely interrupted as well as having an empty stomach.

"Why you rude little red-head twerp, you will pay for your insolent interruption of our motto!" Jessie angrily exclaimed as she pointed to Misty. "Do it, Meowth!" she ordered as she turned to Meowth.

"Yes ma'am!" Meowth, now also relieved of his chef attire, exclaimed as he revealed some sort of remote. He then pushed a red button on the said remote.

What followed was a loud rumbling coming from right above where Ash and Misty were currently standing.

"Ash, what's that noise?" Misty nervously asked as she looked up.

"I don't know, but it can't be good!" Ash replied as he too looked up at the rumbling noise.

As if on cue; a large metal object came hurdling down towards the ground.

"Is that, a cage?" Misty wondered out loud while looking on as the object came closer and closer.

Yes, it was indeed a cage and as it met the ground below; it trapped both Ash and Misty within its four metal-railed sides.

"Hey," Ash started as he gripped two of the rails in his hands. "What's this!?" he demanded to know as he gave the rails a forceful pull.

"Good luck getting out of that, twerp." Jessie said as she walked up to the cage. "This," she started as she grabbed hold of a part of the cage that looked like a door. "Is the only way out of this cage and it is locked shut…"She explained.

"Yea, dat's right!" Meowth exclaimed. "And I hav da key!" he informed the trapped kids as he swung the said key around his paw.

"So, tata!" the Team Rocket trio simultaneously exclaimed as they disappeared in a flash, accompanied by Pikachu in his cage.

Team Rocket reappeared moments later though, but this time in their trademark Meowth-shaped hot air balloon. The ceiling above them then opened up, allowing the dastardly trio to make their getaway, with stolen Pikachu in tow.

"Let us out of here, Team Rocket!" Ash called out as he pulled against the side of the cage where the door was located. But it was to no avail, as the cage didn't budge an inch.

"Ash, we've got to do something!" Misty exclaimed as she watched Team Rocket's balloon. "They're getting away!"

"I know, Misty!" Ash yelled back as he desperately kept pulling on the door. He then switched to different measures by starting to ram into the cage door with his shoulder.

"Ash, stop that." Misty ordered as she watched Ash repeatedly ramming into the door. "You're going to hurt yourself, stop that!"

"I…don't…care!" Ash yelled in between blows. "They have Pikachu…and I won't let them get away!" he again yelled as his shoulder, which was now beginning to throb in pain, connected once more with the hard, merciless metal. He rammed into the cage door one more time, before his shoulder decided that it had has had enough. He fell backwards and cringed in pain as he held onto his aching shoulder.

"Ash," Misty started as she bent down next to Ash. "Are you okay!?" she sincerely asked as she gently placed her hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry, Misty." Ash reassured Misty as he got back up onto his feet.

"Now, how are we going to get out of here?" Misty asked as she put her hand against one of the railings.

Ash also got back up and gave the cage door a close examination. "Hmm…" he mumbled as he closely looked at the detail of the door. "Well, I think that I can pick the lock to the door…" he figured as he frowned at the said lock.

"That's great!" Misty excitedly exclaimed.

"But I don't have anything to pick it with at the moment…" Ash said as his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Awh man…" Misty moaned as she gave off an aggravated sigh.

"Yeah," Ash responded. "We need something sharp so I can get inside of that lock." He said as he pointed to the said lock on the cage door.

"Hmmm," Misty said as she scratched her chin in thought. "I don't think I have any sharp objects on me…"she concluded.

"I've got it!" Ash suddenly announced out of the blue.

"Well, let's hear it then." Misty stated in anticipation.

"It's easy, Misty." Ash said matter-of-factly. "Give me one of those things." He said as he pointed towards Misty.

"What things, Ash?" Misty asked as she inspected herself, not sure of what Ash was referring to.

"You know," Ash started. "Those things that keep your pants up." He explained.

"Do you mean my suspenders?" Misty asked with a quizzical frown as she pulled on one of the said objects.

"Yeah, those things, they have those little clips that are perfect for picking a lock!" Ash excitedly informed Misty as he pointed to her pants, where the clips he was talking about were currently situated.

"Ash, what the heck is wrong with you!?" Misty shrieked as she protectively folded her arms around her body.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked as he frowned at Misty in confusion.

"I am NOT going to undress in front of you, Ash Ketchum!" Misty clearly informed Ash as she menacingly glared at the boy.

"Who said anything about undressing, Misty?" Ash asked as he tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I just want one of those clips so I can get us out of here!" he explained in his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor. "Come on, Misty. The longer you take; the farther away Team Rocket gets with Pikachu!"

Misty frowned at Ash in annoyance. She knew that he was right and the longer she takes; the less chance they had of catching up to them and saving Pikachu. She gave him one more stare before she sighed in defeat. "Fine…" she mumbled. She then slowly started unbuckling the suspender from her jean pants, until she looked up and noticed Ash looking at her in anticipation. "Ash, LOOK AWAY!" she yelled at the boy.

"Huh," Ash mumbled. "Uh, but wh-"

"JUST DO IT!" Misty yelled at Ash, silencing the boy. She now had a pink blush on her cheeks out of embarrassment.

Ash quickly obeyed Misty and turned around to face the cage door instead. "Uh, I'm sorry?" he stated uncertainly.

"Just don't turn around until I give you permission to!" Misty ordered as she took one of her suspenders off. "Okay, you can turn around now…" she informed Ash.

Ash turned around and his attention was almost immediately caught by a bright pink color at Misty's waist.

"Here," Misty said with a scowl and a light blush on her face as she held the suspender out to Ash.

Ash however, wasn't really paying attention to Misty. His eyes were now fixed on the pink color: Misty's panty. "Uh…" he mumbled as his cheeks started darkening to a red color.

"What is it now?" Misty said as she looked at Ash in skeptical eyes. "Hello? "Up here." she asked as she snapped her fingers. "What are you looking at anyway?" she asked again as she followed his gaze and her eyes then grew wide…

The pink pair of panties that Misty was wearing revealed itself because of the fact that the suspender she took off held her pants up. Her pants were now half hanging down on the one side, giving Ash the view of a lifetime, which of course, will not be tolerated by Misty…

"Wow…" Ash absent-mindedly stated as his eyes were fixed on Misty's exposed undergarment. "Those are pretty…"

"ASH, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Misty exploded in a fit of embarrassment and rage as she desperately tried to cover up her exposed undergarment.

"I uh…I…" Ash stuttered out as he desperately tried to direct his attention elsewhere, anywhere but on Misty at the moment.

"DON'T LOOK!" Misty ordered as she turned around. "Here," she said as she threw the suspender over her shoulder at Ash. "Why don't you start opening that door." She insisted before turning her attention back to keeping her pants up.

"Uh, y-yeah, sure…" Ash mumbled as he picked the suspender up, trying to avert his gaze away from Misty as much as possible. He then proceeded to slowly start unlocking the door.

Misty finally managed to get a grip on her slipping pants. She moved over next to Ash to observe what he was doing. "Ash, where did you even learn to do this?" she asked all of a sudden, which caused him to yelp and tense up slightly in surprise.

"Sjeesh Misty," Ash grumbled in annoyance. "Do you have to sneak up on me like that…" he said before stealing a peek at Misty, breathing a sigh of relief when he noticed that she had gotten everything covered up, but also blushed slightly when he realized where he was looking. "Well, me and Gary watched this movie one time when we were still young, and this guy in it also picked a lock of a door." He started explaining. "So, we decided to hold a little contest to see who can pick a lock first." He continued as he resumed trying to unlock the cage door. "I guess I got good at it after a couple of attempts…" he added before turning his attention completely back to the task at hand.

"I see…" Misty trailed off as she lifted her hand to run her fingers through her hair, only for her fingers to meet with a fabric-like material: Ash's hat, which was still situated comfortably on her head. This caused her to unconsciously smile as she felt the fabric under her fingers.

"Aha!" Ash suddenly exclaimed, causing Misty to direct her attention back to him.

"What now?" Misty asked as she frowned at Ash.

"Ta- da," Ash exclaimed as he pushed the cage door open. "See, I told you I could do it." He proudly stated as he pulled Misty's suspender from the lock and handed it back to her. "Now, get dressed. We've got to find Pikachu!" he determinedly stated.

"Right," Misty agreed. "Could you just uhm, turn around for a sec?" she requested as a blush made its way onto her cheeks.

"Uhm wh-"Ash started questioning before realization struck him. "Oh, right! Sure thing, Misty." He quickly said as he turned his back on Misty, allowing her to get herself properly dressed again.

"Okay, I'm all done…" Misty declared after a while.

Ash turned around to face Misty and breathed a deep sigh of relief when he saw that she was properly dressed and "lookable" in his eyes. "Good, now come on; we've got to go save Pikachu!" he exclaimed with a mighty fist-pump before he started running out of the cage.

"Wait, Ash!" Misty called after Ash, causing him to stop in his tracks and look back at her. "Don't we need to think of a plan?" she suggested. "I mean, we don't even have our pokemon with us…"

"It doesn't matter!" Ash exclaimed. "The longer we take; the farther away they get with Pikachu!" he yelled. "So stay if you want to," he calmly stated as he turned back around. "But I'm going after them." He added before he started running down the tunnel.

"Ash, wait!" Misty yelled as she ran after Ash. She caught up to him in the middle of the tunnel he ran into, seeing as he stopped to wait for her.

"Misty," Ash started as he looked Misty determinedly in the eyes. "If you're going to try and stop me from following Team Rocket; save your breat-"

Misty interrupted Ash by taking his hat off of her head and firmly putting it onto his head. "I won't stop you from going, Ash." She reassured the boy. "I'll go back to the Gym to get some of our pokemon while you follow Team Rocket. They can't be too hard to find, seeing as they move around in a giant Meowth balloon." She determinedly proposed.

"Right," Ash said as he balled his fists in determination. "I'll see you later then!" he yelled over his shoulder as he ran down the tunnel again, on his way to tracking down Team Rocket and his Pikachu. His task was made much more convenient when he noticed a ladder protruding up through the large hole through which their balloon disappeared earlier.

"Good luck, Ash! Be safe!" Misty yelled after him before he disappeared behind the rooftop of the tunnel. She then turned her attention to finding her own escape route. She figured that Team Rocket would probably try to avoid Mt. Moon, seeing as the air currents can get pretty harsh up there. The same went for the ocean, so she figured that they would probably head towards Saffron City. Seeing as the Gym was located towards the opposite side from the route heading to Saffron; she decided to head the opposite way of where Ash climbed the ladder moments ago…

It took her a while, but Misty finally reached a stairway which lead back up to the restaurant. Once she reached the front doors; she immediately started making her way through the crowd, on her way back to her Gym.

Meanwhile, Ash was now outside of Cerulean City, still chasing after team Rocket, whose balloon he could spot as a dot in the distance. He does admit that it was a brash move to chase after Team Rocket without any plan whatsoever, not mention without any pokemon on him. But he didn't care. He knew that if he didn't hurry; he would lose Pikachu for good, so allowing Team Rocket even more of a head start was out of the question. "Hang on, Pikachu: I'm coming…" he reassured himself as he picked up the pace a bit to try and catch up…

Meanwhile, things were not going so well for Pikachu on Team Rocket's balloon. Being captured by the bumbling trio had become a daily ritual for the yellow mouse, which usually ended up in him blasting them off into the stratosphere. But it looked as if they finally managed to get one right for a change, seeing as he wasn't back in his masters arms yet, which greatly worried the yellow mouse.

"Wow," Jessie started as she stretched her arms out over her head in victory. "I can't believe we actually got away!" she excitedly squealed.

"Yea," Meowth added. "It seems so unreal, and we hav Jimbo to thank for all of that!" he said as he gestured towards James.

"We absolutely do!" Jessie exclaimed. "You were the mastermind behind this entire operation!"

"Oh, it was nothing." James nonchalantly said as he crossed his arms in pride. "Just some planning, that's all." He said as he gave his two companions a piece-sign with his fingers.

"But, James," Jessie started. "How did you know where the twerps would sit? I mean, they could have sat down anywhere, so how did you know that they would sit where you dug the hole?" she said as she frowned out of curiosity.

"Yea Jimbo, that's a good question actually." Meowth added as he now too wondered just how James knew where Ash, Misty and Pikachu would sit.

"Well," James started as he placed a finger on his chin in thought. "I didn't…" he announced after a while.

"What do ya mean you didn't?" Meowth asked with a confused look in his eyes. "Of course ya had to know!"

"I didn't!" James firmly stated. "What do I look like, psychic?" he sarcastically asked.

"Well then, how did you know where they would sit?" Jessie asked, now completely taken over by her curiosity.

"I didn't know where they would sit, so I spent last night digging holes under each of the tables so we could be ready the next time those twerps came back into the restaurant, which conveniently happened to be today." James explained to Jessie, Meowth and even Pikachu.

"So, you're saying that you dug about 20 holes last night while we were sleeping?" Jessie asked, making sure that she understood correctly.

"Yes," James answered. "And it's taken its toll on my poor, aching back!" he dramatically added as he held his back in pain.

"Wow James; talk about work ethic…" Jessie remarked.

"Yea Jimbo; you've really gotten tru for us dis time." Meowth added.

"Unnecessary activities like sleep must be sacrificed in order to achieve success!" James explained as he dramatically pushed his chest out.

"Don't you feel even a little drowsy?" Jessie curiously asked as she gave James a skeptical eye.

"To be honest; no, I don't." James plainly stated. "I feel completely DRAINED OUT!" he screamed into Jessie's face, visibly irritated because of his lack of sleep.

"Sjeesh, you don't have to yell at me!" Jessie yelled back at James, which ultimately led to an all-out screaming battle between the two humans of the Rocket trio.

"Come on, yous guys;" Meowth exclaimed as he came in between the two quarreling humans. "Cut it out." He said as he tried to split the two apart.

Pikachu was watching scene unfold in front of his cage and saw the quarreling as the perfect diversion to blow this cage to pieces. "Pika," he determinedly exclaimed. "Pi – Ka – Chu!" he yelled as he unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt attack on the cage.

Sadly; Pikachu's powerful Electric attack did no damage whatsoever to the cage. The cage redirected the electric current right back at Pikachu in response, shocking the poor electric mouse instead.

"Pika," Pikachu exclaimed in pain as the electricity sizzled through his body. This was not exactly what he had in mind…

Pikachu's antics caught the attention of Team Rocket and immediately put a halt to their arguing.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Jessie said as she crossed her arms and shook her head from side-to-side. "Did you really think that we wouldn't come prepared for your sparking personality, Pikachu?"

"Yea, you shud know by now that we's always gots a way to counter your little electric attacks!" Meowth added from next to Jessie. "This here cage is electric, Pikachu-proof!" he notified Pikachu as he pointed to the said cage.

"Pika," Pikachu softly exclaimed with drooped ears, the feeling of helplessness starting to sink in as they floated onward…

Misty, in the meantime, had made her way back to the Cerulean Gym and was now contemplating which pokemon she would need for Operation Retrieve Pikachu.

"Hmmm," Misty exclaimed as she looked over all of her pokeballs. "I guess I can take Staryu, but whom else…" she wondered out loud as she gave her pokeballs another look-over. It then hit her. "Ugh!" she said as she wacked her palm against her forehead. "How could I be so stupid, Gyarados!" she exclaimed as she grabbed both Staryu and Gyarados's pokeballs. She then started hurriedly making her way towards the front door, but stopped when she noticed all of Ash's present pokeballs (save for Pikachu's) laying on the bench near her tray of pokeballs. "Hmmm, I think Bayleef will come in handy…" she said as she picked up Bayleef's pokeball and clipped to her belt next to Staryu and Gyarados's pokeballs. "Now to find Ash!" she determinedly yelled as she ran out the front doors of the Gym, in search of Ash and Team Rocket…

Meanwhile, Ash had finally started catching up to Team Rocket's balloon. He could now see the Meowth-shaped balloon right above him, along with the top of both Jessie and James's heads. He figured Meowth was also in the balloon, being too short to spot, and Pikachu's cage was probably situated next to the thieving trio on the floor. "Darn it." He cursed as he kept an eye on the balloon. "I've got to find a way to get up there!"

"Hey, Ash!" he heard a familiar voice calling from his left.

"Huh," he exclaimed as he turned his head to his left to find Misty running up to him. "Misty? How did you get here so fast?" he asked as he looked at her with a quizzical frown.

"I took a shortcut." She simply said as the two of them ran alongside each other down the road, giving chase after Team Rocket's balloon.

"Wow," Ash exclaimed. "How come you didn't tell me about a shortcut!?" he yelled, slightly agitated at having wasted a good amount of time chasing after Team Rocket down the road.

"Well to be honest," Misty started. "You probably would have gotten lost." She simply said. "It's easy to get confused with all the twists and turns…"

"Oh, so how come you didn't get lost?" Ash asked as he glared at Misty.

"Because I know my way around these parts, Ash, I grew up here." Misty simply answered.

"Oh, so you're saying that I'm dumb and uncoordinated?" Ash irritatedly asked as he looked at Misty next to him.

"Exactly," Misty said matter-of-factly. "Now come on; we've got to get Pikachu back."

"Right," Ash determinedly said. "But wait, do you have some sort of plan?" he sheepishly asked Misty.

Misty banged her palm against her forehead in agitation. "Geez, Ash, didn't you think this through?" she aggravatedly asked as she glared at Ash.

"No," Ash simply replied. "I had to make a fast decision, or I would have lost track of Team Rocket!" he yelled into Misty's face.

"Ugh," Misty groaned, irritated at the fact that they had no plan.

Ash looked in front of them and noticed a rather steep cliff coming up ahead. That's when an idea hit him. "I've got a plan!" he announced to Misty.

"What is it, Ash?" Misty curiously asked as she gave Ash a look.

"You just keep running down the road and follow Team Rocket!" Ash instructed to Misty as he picked up the pace, running ahead of her. "I'll do the rest!" he yelled back over his shoulder at her before turning in front of him, making his way towards the steep cliff ahead.

"Ash, wait!" Misty yelled after Ash, but when he didn't reply; she sighed in annoyance and did as she was told by continuing down the road after Team Rocket's balloon.

Ash had meanwhile started making his way up the cliff, his plan very clear in his mind: Jump onto Team Rocket's balloon.

"Just hang on, Pikachu; I'm almost there…" Ash silently stated as the edge of the cliff began to appear in his sight.

"Ash," Misty stated as her eyes grew wide after she saw what Ash had in mind. "What do you think you're doing!?" she yelled at the boy, but he was out of ear's reach. "Are you crazy!?" she yelled, but it was too late…

"Here I come!" Ash yelled as he reached the edge of the cliff. He trodded his feet into the ground and took off into the air with one mighty jump.

For a moment it looked as if Ash wouldn't make it all the way to the balloon. He started dipping down through the air, almost below the balloon. But in the end; he barely made it and grabbed onto the bottom of the basket, digging his fingers in between the rips of wood.

"Phew," Ash exclaimed as he looked down. "That was close…" he stated in relief.

"Phew," Misty let out an unconsciously-held breath. "That was way too close…" she said. "He is so going to get it!" she stated as her look of relief slowly turned into a glare of anger.

Ash's little stunt didn't go unnoticed by the occupants of Team Rocket's balloon, however…

"Hey, yous guys," Meowth exclaimed as he turned to his compatriots; Jessie and James. "Did yous feel that turbulence?" he inquired.

"Of course we felt it, Meowth!" Jessie yelled as she glared at Meowth.

"It came from this side of the balloon!" James said as he pointed to their current left side.

The three Team Rocket members slowly and carefully made their way towards the left side of the balloon from their current position and peeked over the edge, looking straight into Ash's face.

"Hey look yous guys; it's da twerp!" Meowth exclaimed as he pointed down towards Ash.

"We can see that, Meowth!" Jessie angrily yelled into Meowth's face.

"Pikapi," Pikachu excitedly exclaimed from within his cage, happy to hear that Ash is here for him.

"Shut it, Pika pal!" Meowth exclaimed as he swung his fist angrily at Pikachu.

"Give me back Pikachu, Team Rocket!" Ash yelled up to Jessie and James. He couldn't reach for them because he would lose his grip on the basket.

"Yeah right, like that would happen!" Jessie yelled back as she stuck her tongue out at Ash. "Now Arbok, dispose of the twerp with your Poison Sting!" she ordered as she threw a pokeball up into the air, with the cobra-like Arbok appearing out of it.

"Char Bok," Arbok exclaimed as it landed next to Jessie and started firing dozens of little poison needles down towards Ash.

Arbok's attack connected with Ash, which resulted in a loud and pained scream from the boy.

"No, Ash!" Misty yelled as she looked on in terror.

"Pikapi," Pikachu worriedly exclaimed from inside the cage after hearing Ash's screaming.

"I'm…losing…my grip!" Ash yelled as his fingers slowly started slipping out from between the strips of wood, until his grip on the balloon was completely lost…

"Ash," Misty yelled, horrified as she watched Ash falling.

"Pikapi," Pikachu called out after Ash's screams seemed to get softer, signaling that he was falling.

"Help me!" Ash cried as he came pummeling down towards Earth…

**Oh no, what will happen to Ash? Will he survive this fall and what about Pikachu?**

**I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

**And please review, even if you are reading from the beginning for the first time; review! It really keeps me motivated.**

**Until next time.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Well, here's another chapter of Changing Ways (Kind of dumb Title). I decided to cut this chapter short. It would have contained more, but I felt this was a good place to stop.**

**Anyway, thanks for the reviews.**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 16: Grab Pikachu, whatever it takes. Team Rocket Ruthless! :**

"WHAAAAAA," Ash yelled as he came falling down to Earth.

Team Rocket's balloon was pretty high up by the time Ash fell, so it was a very long way down for the Pokemon Trainer.

"Jessie, what have you done!?" James angrily yelled into Jessie's face back in the balloon. "We only wanted to steal the twerp's Pikachu, not KILL the twerp!" he added.

"What?" Jessie asked as she threw her hands up in innocence. "How was I supposed to know that the twerp would fall?"

"Well, you've done it dis time, Jess…" Meowth exclaimed while looking on as Ash fell through the air while their balloon drifted away…

"Oh no…" Misty gasped as she watched Ash coming down to Earth. "Ash!" she yelled as she started running into the direction he was going to land in. "What am I going to do!?" she asked herself in desperation. "ASH!" she yelled one final time at the top of her voice.

It was then that everything turned white around Misty. The white light protruded from her waist, coming from a pokeball on her belt. A being appeared from the brilliant white light, forming in front of Misty, who had come to a halt because of surprise. What appeared out of the white light; was Ash's trusty Grass-type, evolved Johto starter pokemon: Bayleef.

"Bay Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she used her Vine Whip into the air towards Ash.

"Bayleef, what are you doing out of your pokeball?" Misty quizzically asked as she stared at Bayleef in front of her.

"Bay," Bayleef firmly exclaimed as she looked over her shoulder to Misty, ordering her to do something.

"Huh, what are you saying, Bayleef…" Misty silently questioned herself as she looked up at what Bayleef was doing. Her eyes then lit up when she saw what the leaf-like pokemon was doing…

Bayleef had curled her vines around Ash's body, which didn't help because he was still falling.

"You want me to help?" Misty asked as she stepped a few feet closer to Bayleef.

"Bay," Bayleef hastily nodded, signaling that Misty had to hurry as they were running out of time.

"Right, I'm on it!" Misty yelled as she scanned the situation, thinking of a plan to save Ash. "Come on Misty; think…" she mumbled to herself as she hurriedly looked around her, seeing as they were really starting to run out of time. "Aha, I've got it!" she excitedly yelled as she pulled a pokeball from her belt. "Staryu: I choose you!" she yelled as she threw the pokeball in the air.

The sea star-like pokemon, Staryu, emerged from the light emitting from the pokeball and formed on the ground in front of Misty. "Hyah," it exclaimed, awaiting its orders.

"Quick, Staryu; use your Water Gun to stop Ash from falling!" Misty hastily ordered as she pointed up to where Ash was rapidly approaching the ground.

"Hyah," Staryu acknowledged Misty's order and got underneath Ash. It then proceeded to spray a mighty blast of water from the tip of its top point, straight up to Ash.

Ash had by now closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable collision with the ground. That is however, until he felt a strong, wet surge of water hitting him against the back. It dramatically slowed down the pace at which he was falling, up until the point at which it felt as if he stopped falling completely.

He slowly opened his one eye to see what was going on. "WHAT THE HECK!?" he yelled when he noticed that he was floating several feet above the ground. "Am I, FLYING?" he asked as he looked down with wide eyes.

Misty slapped her palm against her forehead. "No, Ash; you're not flying!" she scowled Ash because of his stupidity. "Staryu," she said as she turned to Staryu. "Lower your Water Gun to bring Ash back safely to the ground, okay?" she ordered.

"Hyah," Staryu complied as its Water Gun slowly started weakening in strength, lowering Ash out of the air.

"Whoa, what's happening?" Ash nervously asked as he looked around him. He then finally noticed the water beneath him and gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, so that's how I was able to fly…" he figured, sounding in awe.

Misty merely slapped her forehead in aggravation because of Ash's seemingly unending stupidity.

Bayleef kept Ash steady with her Vine Whip as Staryu's Water Gun dissipated more and more. Ash's feet eventually made contact with the ground, after which Staryu retreated to Misty's side and Bayleef released Ash from her Vine Whip.

"Bay Bay," Bayleef excitedly exclaimed as she ran towards Ash.

"Hey there, Baylee-"Ash got out before he was knocked over by Bayleef, who now sat on top of him.

"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she nuzzled her cheek up against Ash.

"C-Cut it out, Bayleef," Ash exclaimed in between laughs. "That tickles!"

'Bay," Bayleef happily exclaimed before getting off of Ash, allowing the Pokemon Trainer to get back to his feet.

"Thanks a lot, Bayleef." Ash said as he gently rubbed the leaf on Bayleef's head. "And you too, Staryu." He said, addressing Staryu. He then looked up at Misty. "Thanks, Misty." He said with a big smile on his face.

"You can thank me later, Ash." Mist replied. "Now come on; let's go get Pikachu!" she declared with a confident smirk.

"Right," Ash said with a determined look in his eyes. "Let's go!" he said with a fist pump.

"Thanks for your help, Staryu, return." Misty said as she pointed a pokeball towards Staryu, figuring that it would not be able to keep up with the gang. The pokeball retracted the sea star-like pokemon and was then clipped back onto Misty's belt.

The group consisting out of Ash, Misty and Bayleef then started running down the road after Team Rocket's balloon, which had now gotten a bit ahead of them again because of the drama…

"Uh, yous guys…" Meowth started as he turned back to Jessie and James. "I hate to be da bearer of good news…but da twerp's fine." He informed his fellow Team Rocket members.

"WHAT?" both Jessie and James simultaneously exclaimed as they turned around and sure enough; they looked straight into the twerp and red-headed twerpette giving chase after them.

"Phew, thank goodness the twerp is still alive…" Jessie said as she sighed in relief.

"Yes, I don't want any blood on my hands…" James stated as he wiped some sweat off of his forehead.

"Arbok; this is entirely your fault!" Jessie scowled as she pointed an accusing finger at Arbok.

"Char," Arbok gaped as its eyes grew wide in surprise. It then vigorously shook its head in denial.

"Oh no," James cut in. "You're not going to pin this on poor Arbok. It was YOU that ordered Arbok to attack the twerp!" he said as he pointed to Jessie.

"No, it's Arbok's fault!" Jessie yelled into James's face.

"Char Bok," Arbok exclaimed as it shook its head vigorously in denial again.

"No, it's YOUR fault!" James yelled back into Jessie's face.

"No, it's ARBOK's fault!" Jessie in turn yelled back into James's face.

"BE QUIET!" Meowth furiously yelled as he ripped his claws over both Jessie and James's faces, which resulted in painful moans as the two of them grabbed their aching faces. "Now why don't yous guys look down der!" he ordered as he pointed down to the ground.

Jessie and James looked down to where Meowth was pointing.

"Yes, it's the twerp and the red-headed twerpette along with a Bayleef?" James remarked.

"What about them, Meowth?" Jessie asked as she looked down at Meowth.

"Are yous guys blind!?" Meowth scowled his two bumbling companions. "They're followin' us!" he angrily informed the two of them.

"Well, they're not getting Pikachu back!" Jessie angrily yelled. "Arbok: Use Poison Sting to stop them in their tracks!" she ordered as she pointed down to Ash, Misty and Bayleef.

"Char Bok Bok," Arbok exclaimed as it fired a stream of poisonous white needles down towards the trio of chasing twerps which consisted out of Ash, Misty and Bayleef.

"Pikapi, Pikachupi!" Pikachu worriedly exclaimed from within his cage.

"Watch out, you guys!" Misty warned Ash and Bayleef as she noticed the poisonous needles approaching them.

"Quick, Bayleef; use Razor Leaf to stop that!" Ash quickly ordered in retaliation to the Poison Sting.

"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed in acknowledgement as she swung her head and small razor-like leaves flying out of the leaf on her head.

The leaves and poisonous needles collided in mid-air, causing a mini-explosion.

"That ought to stop them." Jessie declared as she, Meowth, James and Arbok watched the resulting post-explosion cloud.

"I wouldn't bet on that!" the Team Rocket trio heard a familiar voice coming from within the cloud.

The owner of the voice was none other than Ash, who, along with Misty and Bayleef, came running through the cloud, uninjured and in pursuit of the balloon.

"Gah, I knew it was too good to be true." Jessie said as she slapped her palm against her forehead in aggravation.

"Bayleef: Use your Razor Leaf to shoot down that balloon!" Ash ordered as he pointed to the said balloon.

"Bay," Bayleef obeyed as she swung her head once more, causing more razor-like leaves to shoot out of it.

The leaves shot up towards the Meowth-shaped balloon and flew by, but not before tearing a giant hole on the side of it.

"Oh boy, dat can't be good…" Meowth exclaimed as he looked at the gaping hole in the balloon.

"Agreed…" James added, before the hot air balloon came crashing down towards the ground, with its occupants screaming in blue murder.

The balloon came crashing down into a tree a few yards in front of Ash, Misty and Bayleef, who were making their way over to it.

"Come on, guys," Ash said as he started running faster. "Hurry up!" he added as he approached the crashed balloon.

"Ash," Misty called after Ash. "Wait! You can't just run over to them! It could be dangerous!" she informed him, but it fell on deaf ears as he ignored her and kept running. "Ash!" she yelled again before going after him, Bayleef in tow.

Misty and Bayleef caught up to Ash and together, the three of them got closer to the crashed balloon. However, a loud explosion from the balloon sent Ash, Misty and Bayleef back a few feet. They came to a skidding halt on the ground as all-too-familiar laughing echoed through the air.

"Ugh, what the heck happened…"Ash said as he groggily sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

"Bay Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she also sat up.

"Uhh, was I hit by a Tauros?" Misty said as she held onto her aching head.

"Oh no, you weren't." Jessie said, addressing the fallen trio. "You were hit by none other, than Team Rocket!" she added with a maniacal laugh.

"Jessie, look at what you have done this time!" James yelled from next to Jessie, causing her to momentarily lose her balance.

"STOP YELLING AT ME!" Jessie exploded into James's face after she regained her balance. "I didn't even do anything!" she added in her defense.

"You didn't do anything?" James rhetorically asked. "You DESTROYED our balloon!" he angrily yelled.

"And Pikachu along with it!" Meowth added from Jessie's other side.

"Do you think money grows on trees?!" James rhetorically asked; his teeth razor sharp in anger.

"Well," Jessie exclaimed as she put her finger on her chin in thought. "What is money made of?" she asked James.

"Paper?" James asked, confused because of the turn of events.

"And where does paper come from…?" Jessie asked as she knowingly nudged James in the ribs.

"…" James stared blankly at Jessie, anger beginning to seethe out of him as his cheeks turned red in fury.

"Huh, James?" Jessie asked as she smirked knowingly at James. "I'm waiting for an answer." She said.

"Just go in there and get Pikachu!" James angrily ordered Jessie as he pointed to the wreck which was once their balloon.

"I am way ahead of you, James." Jessie stated matter-of-factly and then revealed a cage from behind her back, which contained none other than Pikachu.

"Pika, Pikachu," Pikachu angrily exclaimed from within the cage, sparks emitting from his cheeks.

"But how?" James asked; amazement evident in his voice.

"It was simple, really." Jessie stated. "I just grabbed the cage before I let Arbok blow the balloon up." She explained.

"Wow, good thinkin', Jess." Meowth complimented Jessie.

"Why, thank you, Meowth." Jessie said before turning to James and sticking her tongue out at him.

James simply crossed his arms and turned the other way with a huff.

"Team Rocket!" the three Team Rocket members heard a familiar voice call out. They turned around, only to look straight into Ash, the owner of the said voice, accompanied by Misty and Bayleef.

"The twerp?" Team Rocket simultaneously exclaimed as they looked at Ash and Co. in shock.

"Give me back Pikachu, now!" Ash ordered as he balled his fists in front of him in anger.

"Twerp, what do you take us for? Idiots?" Jessie sarcastically asked as while rolling her eyes.

"Do you really want us to answer that?" Misty answered for Ash.

"What did you say, you little brat!?" Jessie screamed with razor sharp teeth.

James covered Jessie's mouth before she could retaliate. "That's enough, Jessie!" he said as he dragged her back.

"If ya want Pikachu back; yous are gonna hav to battle us for'em!" Meowth declared as he showed his claws at Ash, Misty and Bayleef.

"If it's a battle you want; it's a battle you'll get!" Ash determinedly said. "Bayleef: Go get them!" he said as he pointed towards Team Rocket.

"Oh yeah? Arbok: Go get that Bayleef!" Jessie ordered as she pointed towards Bayleef. She then put Pikachu's cage down behind her legs as she prepared to enter combat with Ash and Bayleef.

"Weezing: I choose you!" James exclaimed as he threw a pokeball up into the air.

The pokeball opened in mid-air and unleashed a white light, in which James's Weezing appeared from.

"Weezing Wee," Weezing exclaimed as it hovered next to James.

"Come on out, Staryu!" Misty yelled as she threw a pokeball into the air, from which Staryu emerged.

"Hyah," Staryu exclaimed as it landed in front of Misty, ready to battle with Weezing.

"I'll just keep Pikachu here company, then." Meowth declared as he sat down on Pikachu's cage.

"Pika Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu angrily exclaimed at Meowth's actions as sparks started emitting from his cheeks.

"Whoa, slow down there, Pikachu." Meowth exclaimed. "Ya know what'll happen if ya use any of those Electric attacks of yours…" he mockingly explained.

"Pika," Pikachu sadly exclaimed with his ears drooped, knowing all too well what would happen if he fired a Thunderbolt inside the cage.

"Yea, dat's what I thought…" Meowth triumphantly exclaimed…

"Arbok: Use Poison Sting!" Jessie ordered.

"Char," Arbok acknowledged as it fired a stream of poisonous needles towards Bayleef.

"Dodge it, Bayleef, and then use Razor Leaf!" Ash countered.

"Bay," Bayleef complied as she jumped to her right, dodging the Poison Sting. "Bay Bay," she exclaimed as she fired a stream of razor sharp leaves towards Arbok.

"Oh no, look out, Arbok!" Jessie yelled, until a white light shone from a pokeball on her waist, from which Wobbuffet appeared.

"Wobbuffet," Wobbuffet absentmindedly exclaimed with its arm against its head.

"Wobbuffet, get back into your bal-"Jessie started yelling before an idea hit her. She grabbed Wobbuffet and then threw it in front of Arbok. "Quick, Wobbuffet: Use Counter!" she quickly ordered.

"Wobbuffet," Wobbuffet exclaimed as it started glowing red.

The Razor Leaf attack collided with Wobbuffet, but it simply rebounded back towards an unsuspecting Bayleef.

"Bayleef, watch out!" Ash yelled, but it was too late as the rebounded leaves collided with Bayleef.

"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed in pain as she fell down on the ground because of the hit.

"Oh no, Bayleef are you okay!?" Ash asked as he worriedly looked down at Bayleef.

"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed and nodded as she groggily stood back up.

"You're not allowed to do that, Jessie!" Ash angrily said as he glared at Jessie. "It's against the rules!" he added.

Jessie simply laughed at Ash's show of honesty. "Please twerp, Team Rocket never follows the rules!" she informed the boy.

Ash angrily growled at Jessie. "You ready for round 2, Bayleef?" he asked Bayleef while looking at her, determination evident in his eyes.

"Bay Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she vigorously nodded in determination.

"Alright, then use Vine Whip!" Ash ordered as he pointed towards Wobbuffet and Arbok behind it.

"Bay Bay," Bayleef acknowledged before shooting her long vines towards the two pokemon in front of her.

"That won't work, twerp." Jessie informed Ash. "Wobbuffet: Counter!" she ordered.

"Wobbu," Wobbuffet exclaimed as its body started glowing red.

Bayleef's vines simply bounced off of Wobbuffet and came back, crashing against her and sending her flying backwards onto the ground.

"Bayleef, are you okay?" Ash worriedly asked, to which Bayleef nodded in approval. He then growled in frustration. "How can I win if she keeps cheating by having Wobbuffet protect them with Counter?" he asked himself. "Bayleef: Try a Razor Leaf!" he ordered half in desperation.

"Bay Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she fired another Razor Leaf towards Wobbuffet.

Jessie sighed out of boredom. "Wobbuffet…Counter..." she nonchalantly ordered.

"Wobbu," Wobbuffet exclaimed as it started glowing red again, but it didn't last. Because all of a sudden; Weezing came floating past it, followed by a stream of water which hit it instead of Weezing.

The Water Gun came from none other than Misty's Staryu, who was engaged in battle with James's Weezing. The unsuspecting Water attack took Wobbuffet by surprise, thus its Counter failed, allowing Bayleef's Razor Leaf to score a direct hit.

"Wobbu Wobbu," Wobbuffet exclaimed as it flew to the side and landed with a thud on the ground, fainted.

"Alright, way to go, Misty!" Ash excitedly said with balled fists as he turned towards Misty, who was approaching his side of the battlefield.

"Anytime, Ash." Misty said as she sheepishly scratched the back of her head and stopped next to Ash, happy at her accidental help. "Now that the odds are even again; let's beat them!" she determinedly announced.

Staryu moved over next to Bayleef and the two stood ready for combat. James had taken his place next to Jessie in the meantime, with Weezing and Arbok in front of them, ready to face Bayleef and Staryu. Meowth and Pikachu were still watching from behind, the latter trapped in the cage.

"Arbok: Use Poison Sting!" Jessie ordered.

"Use Sludge, Weezing!" James ordered.

Arbok and Weezing acknowledged their respective trainers' orders and both fired their ordered attacks towards Bayleef and Staryu.

"Dodge it, Bayleef!" Ash retaliated, an order which Bayleef executed by jumping out of the way of the poisonous needles.

"Jump, Staryu!" Misty ordered Staryu, who acknowledged and jumped into the air, evading the poisonous sludge.

"Now, use Razor Leaf on Weezing, Bayleef!" Ash ordered.

"Staryu, use Water Gun on Arbok!" Misty ordered from next to Ash.

"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she fired a stream of razor sharp leaves towards Weezing.

"Hyah," Staryu exclaimed as it fired a powerful stream of water towards Arbok.

Jessie, James, Arbok and Weezing all hurriedly jumped out of the way of the oncoming attacks, causing the said attacks to collide with the ground. The collision caused a massive explosion which resulted in a massive cloud covering most of the battlefield. The force of the explosion caused Pikachu's cage to shoot up into the air and sent Meowth crashing into the ground in front of Jessie and James.

"Pika," Pikachu exclaimed as it flew through the air, helpless and trapped inside the cage.

"Pi-Pikachu!" Ash yelled from the giant smoke cloud caused by the explosion. He knew that Pikachu was defenseless and that a fall from the height he was plunged into the air by the explosion could seriously injure the yellow mouse. He also knew that he wouldn't get there in time…

"Hang on, Pikachu, I'm coming!" Ash heard a voice next to him, Misty's voice! She also had a better chance at getting to Pikachu than he did, since she was closer to where he was going to fall.

Misty sprinted towards the area where Pikachu was going to fall, intent on saving the yellow mouse from a painful landing. She gave one final dive through the air and stretched to her limits, but she caught the cage safely in her hands, landing on the ground with a thud…

"Pikachupi," Pikachu worriedly exclaimed as he looked at Misty.

"I'm alright, Pikachu." Misty said as she looked up at Pikachu with a smile. "Are you okay?" she asked the yellow mouse.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu happily exclaimed as he nodded in reply.

"Good." Misty said as she sat up on her knees with the cage in her hands.

"Misty! Pikachu! Are you guys alright?" Ash yelled from where he was standing.

"We're fine, Ash!" Misty yelled back. "Right, Pikachu?" she asked Pikachu.

"Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed with a thumbs up.

"Come on," Misty started as she started rising from her knees. "Let's get back to Ash." She said.

As she got up however, she felt an excruciating pain against her back, causing her to yell out in pain and fall back down on the ground, dropping the cage as well.

"Misty!" Ash frantically yelled.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu worriedly exclaimed.

"Hey, where do you think you're going with OUR Pikachu!?" Jessie angrily yelled. "Good job, Arbok." Jessie complimented Arbok.

"Char Bok," Arbok exclaimed as it slithered in front of Jessie.

"Team Rocket; what did you do that for!?" Ash yelled as he turned towards Team Rocket.

"She was stealing Pikachu!" Jessie angrily yelled back at Ash. "We stole him first, so he is ours!" she added.

"Pika, Pikachupi," Pikachu desperately exclaimed as he shook the railings on the side of the cage.

"Uh," Misty exclaimed as she lifted her head with effort. "I-I'm fine, P-Pikachu…j-just a few scratches…" she said as she faintly smiled at Pikachu. She then groggily grabbed on to the cage and pulled it closer. Trying to stand up again.

"Oh no you don't!" Jessie furiously yelled at Misty. "Arbok: Use Poison Sting on that brat again!" she ordered.

"Char," Arbok obeyed as it fired another stream of poisonous needles towards Misty.

"Misty, no!" Ash yelled as he tried to scurry over towards Misty and Pikachu.

"Pikachupi, Pika Pika!" Pikachu frantically yelled at Misty.

"Don't worry, Pikachu." Misty said as she held on tighter to the cage, covering it with her body. "I won't let anything happen to you…"

"Pika!" Ash heard Pikachu's voice before an explosion occurred…

**Oh no! First Ash and now it's Misty and Pikachu! What will happen to the two of them?**

**Stay tuned to find out!**

**Please, REVIEW! It really gets me motivated to write if I see added reviews for this story. You can criticize or applaud, just say something!**

**Cheers.**

**PS: Unfortunately, this story will not be as long as I first predicted…I have sadly decided to cut the story short and this story will only go on for another few chapters at most. I am very sorry about that, but hey, I might decide to make it a sequel, so stick around!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Well, here's the next chapter of Changing Ways!**

**I'm proud to say that this is the longest chapter I've ever written(Well, planned out and written out fully without cutting it in half, that is!)**

**I'm sorry about all the cliff hangers. But I don't think that there will be any more of those in this story.**

**Thank you for all the reviews: We're up to 80 reviews now!**

**Anyway, here's Chapter 17!**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 17: It's been a long time coming:**

**Previously on Changing Ways…**

"_Oh no you don't!" Jessie furiously yelled at Misty. "Arbok: Use Poison Sting on that brat again!" she ordered._

"_Char," Arbok obeyed as it fired another stream of poisonous needles towards Misty._

"_Misty, no!" Ash yelled as he tried to scurry over towards Misty and Pikachu._

"_Pikachupi, Pika Pika!" Pikachu frantically yelled at Misty._

"_Don't worry, Pikachu." Misty said as she held on tighter to the cage, covering it with her body. "I won't let anything happen to you…"_

"_Pika!" Ash heard Pikachu's voice before an explosion occurred…_

…

The force of the explosion sent Ash flying backwards through the air. He landed a few feet back from where he was and skidded along the ground, eventually coming to a halt on his back. He groggily got back up onto his feet and looked towards where the explosion occurred. The entire area was covered in a smoke cloud, thus he could not see any sign of Misty or Pikachu.

Team Rocket had also been blasted back by the explosion, along with Arbok and Weezing. The smoke from the explosion completely blocked their view.

"Hey, what happened!?" Jessie angrily asked.

"I can't see a thing!" James stated.

"Ditto!" Meowth agreed.

"Pikachu! Misty!" Ash yelled into the smoke with his hands cupped around his mouth, worry starting to irrationalize his way of thinking. He ran into the giant cloud, intent on rescuing Misty and Pikachu. As he dwelled deeper into the smoke; he started noticing two feint silhouettes starting to appear in front of him. As he got closer the silhouettes started taking form…of Misty and Pikachu!

"Misty, Pikachu!" Ash yelled in relief as he ran over towards Misty and Pikachu. There was electricity crackling around the two of them, meaning that Ash had to watch his step as he approached them.

"Bay Bay," Ash heard Bayleef calling from his right. He stopped in his tracks and then turned in that direction and saw her along with Staryu making their way over towards him. "Hey, are you two okay?" he asked as they stopped in front of him.

"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she affirmatively nodded.

"Hyah," Staryu exclaimed as it nodded as well.

Ash nodded in recognition and then turned his attention back towards Misty and Pikachu. "Come on, you two." He said, addressing Bayleef and Staryu, before he carefully started making his way over to them.

Misty sat on the ground behind Pikachu, who was protectively standing in front of her. "Uh…" she moaned in pain as she held on to her left arm.

"Misty!" Ash called out as soon as he noticed Misty holding on to her arm. He immediately got down onto his knees next to her. "Are you okay, Misty?" he asked as he gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Ash." Misty said as she looked up at Ash and half-heartedly smiled at him.

Ash nodded and carefully threw Misty's arm over his shoulder. "Come on, let's get you to safety." He said as he slowly stood up with Misty in tow, figuring that now was a good time to get her out of there while Team Rocket was stunned and stopped by the smoke.

Bayleef and Staryu stood on either side of Ash and Misty while Pikachu stood in front, making sure that no one tries to attack them until Misty was safe.

As Ash and led Misty a few feet back; he couldn't help but wonder…"Hey Misty, what happened in that explosion?"

"Oh yeah!" Misty excitedly exclaimed. "You should have seen it, Ash. Pikachu was unbelievable!" she added.

"Pikachu?" Ash quizzically asked as he gave Misty a sideway glance. "What did he do?"

"Well…" Misty trailed off…

**[FLASHBACK…]**

"_Don't worry, Pikachu." Misty said as she held on tighter to the cage, covering it with her body. "I won't let anything happen to you…"_

"_Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed from within the cage._

"_Protect yourself, Pikachu!" Misty whispered to Pikachu as she looked over her shoulder at the oncoming attack. She then looked back down and shut her eyes tightly, preparing for the collision and protecting Pikachu at all costs._

"_Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed as he forcefully rammed into the cage door._

_The collision caused the door to break open, seeing as it was probably damaged in the previous fall._

"_Pika?" Pikachu questioned as he noticed the door opening. His expression then turned to one of determination. "Pika!" then exclaimed as he jumped out of the cage._

"_Huh?" Misty mumbled as she looked up to see Pikachu jumping over her. "P-Pikachu?" she exclaimed as she watched the yellow mouse land in front of her. "What are you doing…?" she asked as she sat up and carefully watched him._

"_Pika Pika, Pikachupi." Pikachu calmly exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder at Misty with sparks emitting from his cheeks. He then turned back and faced the oncoming attack. "Pi – Ka –"he started as the sparks emitting from his cheeks grew in size._

"_Pikachu?" Misty nervously asked as she intently watched Pikachu._

"_CHUUUUU!" Pikachu exclaimed as he unleashed a vicious, unrelenting Thunderbolt straight for the oncoming Poison Sting._

_The two attacks collided in mid-air, very close to where Pikachu and Misty were situated. This caused a tremendous force to hit the two of them. Misty shielded her eyes with her left arm while Pikachu kept unleashing electricity to protect him and Misty. A spark shot out of the collision and hit Misty's left arm, which resulted in a muffled groan from the redhead as she cringed in pain. The collision finally reached its climax and resulted in a devastating explosion, followed by a thick cloud of smoke._

"_P-Pikachu?" Misty managed to muffle out in between coughs as she squinted her eyes to try and spot Pikachu through the smoke. "Where are you…" she whispered to herself as she intently kept looking for any sign of the yellow mouse._

_The smoke slowly started thinning out and Misty started seeing a silhouette appearing in front of her._

"_Pikachu!" Misty happily exclaimed as she recognized the silhouette as Pikachu._

_Pikachu had a determined look on his face and was breathing heavily as sparks still sizzled around him. He heard Misty's voice behind him and looked over his shoulder at her, a slight smirk on his face as he kept breathing heavily._

_Misty watched Pikachu in awe as she clenched her left arm…_

…

"…and that's when you got here." Misty ended the story.

She and Ash had made quite a bit of headway away from the battlefield and were approaching a boulder under a tree.

"Wow," Ash exclaimed, surprise and awe evident in his voice. "So, Pikachu basically saved both of your lives?" he asked as they stopped at the boulder.

"Yep, that's what he did." Misty simply replied as she slowly and carefully sat down on the boulder with Ash's help.

Ash made sure that Misty was comfortably seated. He then bit his lip and stared down at the ground, his fist trembling slightly.

"Ash?" Misty asked, still holding on to her left arm. "Are you okay?" she asked as she noticed Ash slightly in his own world.

Ash looked up at Misty, seemingly snapping out of his trance, and slightly nodded at her. "Yeah, I'm fine." He answered. "Hey Misty, why don't you call Staryu over here." He proposed.

"Staryu?" Misty repeated. "But why, Ash?" she asked as she frowned at Ash.

"For protection, Misty." Ash answered. "Hey, Bayleef!" he yelled.

"Bay?" Bayleef exclaimed as she looked over her shoulder at Ash.

"Come over here!" Ash yelled at Bayleef.

"Bay," Bayleef exclaimed as she followed Ash's orders and ran towards him.

"Bayleef:" Ash said as he crouched down in front of Bayleef as soon as she got to him. "I need you to stay here and look after Misty for me, okay?" he said as he smiled at his Grass-type pokemon.

"Bay Bay," Bayleef nodded in understanding as she smiled back at Ash.

"But Ash," Misty started protesting. "Why do you want to leave Bayleef here with me, you know." She said as she glared at Ash. "I can take care of myself-"

"Because I don't want you to get hurt again, Misty." Ash interrupted Misty. "So, I'm leaving Bayleef here to protect you, and that's final." He announced.

The firmness in Ash's voice caused Misty to stare at him in disbelief. Sure, they argued all the time, but he never talked to her like THAT ever before. She started glaring at him again, but her expression soon softened when she realised that he was only worried about her. "Alright, Ash." She said with a sigh. "I'll stay put, then." She assured him as she smiled at him.

Ash tenderly smiled at Misty after hearing that. "Thanks, Misty." He said before turning around and walking towards Pikachu.

"Staryu!" Misty called out at Staryu.

"Hyah?" Staryu exclaimed as it turned around to face Misty.

"Come over here!" Misty yelled at Staryu, to which it complied and hopped over towards her. "Thanks for protecting me, Staryu. You too, Bayleef." She thanked the two of them. She then looked over to where Ash was walking. "Go get 'em, Ash." She whispered to herself as she looked at him, a confident and admiring smirk on her face…

Ash had made his way over to Pikachu in the meantime. "Hey buddy, are you okay?" he asked the yellow mouse as he crouched down next to him.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu nodded as he looked up at Ash, still visibly tired but bearing a smirk.

"Thank you for protecting Misty, Pikachu." Ash said as he scratched Pikachu between his ears. "If it wasn't for you, she could have been seriously hurt." He added; his expression faltering a bit as that thought went through his mind.

"Pika Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu exclaimed as he patted Ash on the shoulder.

Ash looked down at Pikachu and smiled, before his expression turned to a mixture of anger and determination. "Come on, Pikachu:" he said as he got back up. "Let's go deal with Team Rocket." He declared as he started making his way in the direction where Team Rocket supposedly still was.

"Pika!" Pikachu determinedly exclaimed as he caught up to Ash and walked next to him on his hind legs…

"I…can't…see anything!" James yelled in between coughs as he squinted to try and see in front of him through the smoke.

"Yea, we heard ya da first tym!" Meowth informed James as he glared at the blue-haired Rocket member.

"Stop arguing, you two!" Jessie yelled from James's left side. "Look; someone's coming!" she informed James and Meowth as she pointed in front of them where the smoke had not completely dissipated yet.

James and Meowth squinted as they looked into the smoke and sure enough; they saw two silhouettes starting to form in front of them, coming closer to where they were standing.

"I wonder who dat is…" Meowth wondered out loud as he strained to see who it was.

"Wait a second…" James said as he put his hand above his eyes to shield out the light from the sun. "Isn't that…the twerp?" he quizzically asked.

"The twerp?" Jessie and Meowth simultaneously asked as they turned their heads towards James.

"Yeah," the Team Rocket trio heard the all-too-familiar voice coming from the smoke. "The twerp." The voice again rang through their ears as the source of it appeared from out of the smoke in front of him.

"But I prefer Ash." Ash calmly stated as he stopped in front of Team Rocket, his fists clenched at his sides.

Pikachu stood next to Ash, the same calm expression on his face as they looked at Team Rocket.

All three of the Team Rocket members simultaneously gulped, taken back by Ash and Pikachu's cold expression towards them.

"W-What are you trying to pull, twerp?" Jessie shakingly asked as she forced a glare towards Ash.

"Y-yea, wes ain't afraid of yous twos!" Meowth shakingly added from next to Jessie.

Ash merely kept looking at the three of them with a calm expression on his face with Pikachu standing slightly in front of him, glaring at the three Team Rocket members.

James looked at Ash and Pikachu for a moment. "Group huddle!" he then yelled as he pulled Meowth and Jessie closer, forming a huddle between the three of them.

"What gives, James?" Jessie irritatedly asked as she glared at James next to her.

"I don't know about you two, but I am kind of frightened by the twerp's behaviour." James nervously informed Jessie and Meowth.

The three Team Rocket members all quickly stole a glance at Ash and Pikachu, who were still looking at them. They then returned their attention back into the huddle.

"Yeah, same here." Jessie said.

"Don't forget 'bout Meowth!" Meowth nervously added.

"Well," Jessie started. "The twerp's still outnumbered, so we have no reason to be worried, isn't that right, Arbok?" she stated.

"Char!" Arbok agreed as it appeared next to Jessie.

"Yeah, you're right, Jessie." James stated. "We have no reason to be scared of the twerp and his puny Pikachu!" he declared.

"Weezing Wee," Weezing declared as it appeared next to James.

"You will pay for what you've done, Team Rocket!" Ash suddenly exclaimed with anger as he pointed towards Team Rocket.

The entire Team Rocket group present visibly cringed at Ash's remark and all of them took a step back.

"O-Oh, and who's going to make us pay!?" Jessie, the first one to recover, yelled at Ash.

"Char Bok Bok!" Arbok exclaimed, backing Jessie up.

"You tried to steal Pikachu, AGAIN!" Ash yelled as he and Pikachu took a step forward, to which Team Rocket retaliated by taking a step back. "You almost killed me!" he yelled as they took another step forward, causing Team Rocket to take another step back. "You almost killed Pikachu!" he yelled.

"Pika..." Pikachu growled while sparks started emitting from his cheeks in anger as he and Ash took another step forward, causing Team Rocket to jump into the air out of fright and take a step back once more.

"Y-You almost killed Misty…" Ash venomously said, barely audible to Team Rocket, as he and Pikachu took one final step before coming to a stop, facing Team Rocket. "I'll make you pay!" he yelled as his fists started shaking in anger.

Pikachu looked up at Ash with concern in his eyes. This is the first time that he had ever seen his master so angry. "Pikapi…" he exclaimed with drooped ears.

Ash looked down at Pikachu and his expression immediately softened. Looking at the yellow mouse, he realised that it isn't worth it to hold a grudge against anybody, not even Team Rocket. At the moment, he was ready to murder them out of anger, which wasn't acceptable. "Sorry, Pikachu." He said as he smiled at Pikachu. "I'm fine, don't worry, buddy. Now come on: Let's go teach Team Rocket that no one messes with our friends!" he said as he shoved his fist determinedly into the air.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, his concerned expression changing to one of determination and relief.

"Hey, da twerp looks back to normal again…" Meowth remarked as he looked at Ash and Pikachu.

"Yeah, you're right, Meowth." Jessie agreed as she also watched Ash and Pikachu.

"Well, let's get that Pikachu then!" James exclaimed as he pointed towards Ash and Pikachu. "He's still outnumbered, right?" he exclaimed

"Right!" Jessie and Meowth simultaneously agreed.

"Arbok!" Jessie exclaimed, to which Arbok responded by slithering in front of her, ready for battle.

"Weezing!" James exclaimed, to which Weezing responded by hovering in front of its master, prepared for combat.

"And don't forget 'bout Meowth!" Meowth exclaimed as he jumped in between Arbok and Weezing, his claws out and ready for fighting.

"Let's show them, Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he pointed towards Team Rocket.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed before as jumped forward with sparks emitting from his cheeks. He glared at Team Rocket and their pokemon in front of him, ready to face them.

"Arbok: Use Poison Sting!" Jessie ordered, to which Arbok replied by firing a wave of poisonous needles towards Pikachu.

"Weezing: Use Sludge!" James ordered, an order which Weezing obeyed and fired a blob of disgusting sludge towards Pikachu.

"Jump into the air, Pikachu!" Ash yelled out the order.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he acknowledged Ash's order and jumped into the air, evading the two attacks completely.

Pikachu's jump however, left him completely open…

"And now for sum Fury Swipes!" Meowth exclaimed as he came at Pikachu, who was not prepared for this third attack, with his razor sharp claws.

"Oh no…" Ash mumbled to himself, trying to think of a way out of the situation for Pikachu. "Wait, that's it!" he suddenly said. "Pikachu: Wait until Meowth is at you, and then jump off of his head!" he yelled to Pikachu.

"Pika?" Pikachu exclaimed as he looked at Meowth approaching. "Pika Pikachu!" he nodded as a confident expression made its way onto his face as he made his move...

"You're mine, Pikachu!" Meowth yelled when he was right in front of Pikachu. "Gah!" he exclaimed as one of Pikachu's hind-paws drove into his face, sending him spiralling down towards the ground.

Pikachu comfortably landed on the ground in front of Ash, unscathed and perfectly fine.

"Alright! Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash happily cheered.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he grinned over his shoulder at Ash.

Meowth landed with a thud in front of Arbok and Weezing, who in turn were standing in front of Jessie and James.

Uh, Meowth…are you okay?" Jessie inquired.

"I'm fine!" Meowth exclaimed as he got back up onto his feet. "But my poor aching Meowth!" he said as he held onto his mouth.

"Pull yourself together!" James yelled at Meowth.

Meowth nodded and then got back into a battle stance along with Arbok and Weezing.

Ash and Pikachu faced Team Rocket and their pokemon from the other side of the makeshift battlefield.

Ash bit his lip. A three-on-one battle was not what he was hoping on. Yes, Pikachu is very powerful and always reliable, but he simply can't handle three pokemon on his own. He had to quickly think of any possible way to give Pikachu an advantage in this battle. He didn't want to call on either Bayleef or Staryu for help, because that could make Misty a target for Team Rocket, something that he wouldn't dare to allow. But before he could even start to think…

"Arbok: Poison Sting!" Jessie ordered.

"Char!" Arbok exclaimed as it fired another stream of poisonous needles towards Pikachu.

"Quick Pikachu: Move out of the way!" Ash quickly ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped to his left, dodging Arbok's attack.

"Now, use Tackle, Weezing!" James ordered while Pikachu was jumping, leaving the yellow mouse defenceless.

"Weezing Wee!" Weezing exclaimed as it went flying through the air towards Pikachu, viciously ramming into the yellow mouse.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried as he flew through the air and skidded along the ground, eventually landing in front of Ash.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled. "Pikachu, are you okay?" he worriedly asked as he looked at Pikachu.

"Pi – Ka…" Pikachu mumbled as he groggily got back up onto his feet.

Ash growled in frustration. He really needed a way to get Pikachu back into this battle, and fast! He looked around the battlefield for any signs of accommodation. _'Wait…I've got it!'_ he thought. "Pikachu! I've got an idea, so listen carefully!" he yelled at the yellow mouse.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned as he looked over his shoulder at Ash.

"I want you to get as close to them as possible." Ash said as he pointed towards Arbok, Weezing and Meowth, who all had returned to their position in front of Jessie and James.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned Ash's order as he frowned at his master, not sure if it's such a good idea.

"Just trust me on this one, Pikachu." Ash reassured Pikachu with a confident smirk.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded, confident in Ash's plan. He then turned back to Team Rocket and darted off towards them.

"Look guys, Pikachu's charging straight at us!" Meowth remarked. "We must've knocked his screws loose!" he joked. "Come on Pikapal; wes are watin' for ya!" he exclaimed as he held his paws in the air, waiting to trounce on Pikachu, with Arbok and Weezing, of course.

"Come on, almost there…" Ash mumbled to himself as he watched Pikachu get closer and closer to Team Rocket's pokemon.

Pikachu was almost at Team Rocket's pokemon, when Ash made a call…

"Now Pikachu: Jump into the air!" Ash quickly ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu acknowledged and jumped high into the air in front of the onlooking Arbok, Weezing, Meowth, Jessie and James.

"Alright, Pikachu!" Ash cheered. "Now use Thunderbolt on the ground in front of them!" he further ordered Pikachu.

"Pika!" Pikachu loyally obeyed. "Pi – Ka – CHUUUU!" he exclaimed as he unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt on the ground in front of Team Rocket and their respective pokemon.

The Thunderbolt released from Pikachu resulted in the ground exploding into masses of medium-sized rocks and small boulders that flew into the air.

"Alright, it worked!" Ash cheered as he clenched his fist in front of him.

"What's with all the rocks?" Jessie nervously asked as she looked at all the rocks in the air.

"I don't know?" James answered.

"I don't think it's a good thing for us…" Meowth exclaimed.

"Pikachu: Use Quick Attack to jump from rock to rock and hit their pokemon!" Ash enthusiastically ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he took off in blinding speed. He jumped from one boulder to the other towards Arbok, Weezing and Meowth. "Pi – Ka!" he exclaimed as he rammed into Arbok.

"Char!" Arbok exclaimed as it flew backwards from the Quick Attack, after which Pikachu again jumped boulder to boulder, too fast for any of the Rocket members to keep track of.

"Arbok!" Jessie yelled as Arbok crashed in front of her, fainted and unable to continue battling.

Pikachu again jumped from one rock to another at a high speed, approaching his next target: Weezing. "Pi – Ka!" he exclaimed as he rammed into the poison Gas pokemon.

"Wee!" Weezing moaned as it flew through the air after the collision and landed on the ground in front of James, also fainted and unable to battle.

"Weezing, no!" James cried as he looked at his fainted Weezing.

Pikachu then disappeared again as he jumped from one rock to another on his way to his next and final target: Meowth.

"Wer's Pikachu!?" Meowth fearfully asked as he looked around at the falling rocks for any sign of Pikachu. He took a nervous step backwards. "Somebody helps m-GYAAAH!" he exclaimed as he was cut off in mid-sentence by Pikachu colliding full-force with him.

Meowth went flying backwards and landed in between Jessie and James.

"Meowth!" Jessie and James simultaneously yelled as they looked at their fallen companion.

"Uh, I got rocked, and rolled…" Meowth dazily exclaimed as he lay on the ground, fainted.

Pikachu finally landed in front of Ash as the rocks stopped falling from the air.

"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash praised Pikachu with a fist pump.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed with a determined look on his face.

"Now, finish them off with Thunder!" Ash ordered as he pointed towards Team Rocket.

"Pika!" Pikachu acknowledged the order as he jumped into the air. "Pikaaa – CHUUU!" he exclaimed as he unleashed his most powerful Electric attack to date, Thunder, upon Team Rocket.

"WHAAAAA!" All the Team Rocket members simultaneously exclaimed as the Thunder attack collided with them, sending powerful electric currents through their bodies and finally resulting in a massive explosion which sent them flying through the sky.

"Well, this was a SHOCKING outcome…" a sizzled Jessie mumbled.

"Yes, it was quite an unpleasant SHOCK…" James added.

"Enuf wif da puns!" Meowth quieted Jessie and James.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Jessie, James and Meowth simultaneously exclaimed as they flew through the air along with Arbok and Weezing (Wobbuffet was already returned to its pokeball.), which was followed by a PING as they disappeared into the distance.

"Phew, well, that takes care of those three…" Ash said after breathing a sigh of relief. "Good job, buddy." He said, addressing Pikachu in front of him.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu exclaimed as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Come on," Ash said as he turned around. "Let's get back to Misty and the others, Pikachu." He said as he started walking back towards where he left Misty, Bayleef and Staryu.

Pikachu nodded and darted after Ash back towards Misty…

"Well, it looks like that's the last we'll be seeing of Team Rocket for now…" Misty meanwhile remarked as she watched Team Rocket disappear in the distance from the boulder on which she was sitting. She didn't see most of the battle, since she was quite a bit away from the action, but she had to acknowledge the fact that Pikachu gave them the shock of their lives.

"Hey, Misty! You guys!" Misty heard Ash's voice from the in front of her. She looked towards the source and saw the Pokemon Trainer and Pikachu running towards her.

"Ash! Pikachu! You guys!" Misty yelled back as she waved at Ash and Pikachu who were approaching her, Staryu and Bayleef.

"Bay!" Bayleef exclaimed, happy to see that Ash and Pikachu were safe.

Ash and Pikachu stopped in front of the Misty, Bayleef and Staryu.

"It's nice to see you too, Bayleef." Ash said as he rubbed Bayleef on her head.

"So, are the two of you okay?" Misty asked Ash and Pikachu as she looked them over.

"Yeah, we're fine, Misty." Ash answered as he gave Misty a thumbs-up. "Right, Pikachu?" he asked as he looked down at Pikachu next to him.

To Ash's surprise however, Pikachu was breathing faster than normal.

"Pikachu? What's wrong?" Ash worriedly asked as he turned to Pikachu.

"Ash, I think that Pikachu's just exhausted after everything that happened today." Misty informed Ash. "He must have used up a lot of energy." She added.

Ash turned from looking at Misty back towards Pikachu. "Is that it, Pikachu?" he asked the yellow rodent.

"Pika." Pikachu nodded at Ash.

"Well," Ash started as he gently picked Pikachu up. "Let's get you to the Pokemon Center then." He said as he got back up straight.

Pikachu nodded and took his place on Ash's left shoulder.

"Ash, I think we should put Bayleef and Staryu back into their pokeballs." Misty suggested as she stepped closer to Ash and Pikachu. "They must be pretty tired as well." She said as she took Bayleef's pokeball off of her belt and held it out to Ash.

"Yeah, good idea, Misty." Ash said as he took the pokeball from Misty. "Bayleef: Thanks a lot for all of your help. Take a nice long rest. Return." He said as he pointed the pokeball towards Bayleef, causing the pokeball to retract her back into it. He then clipped the pokeball onto his belt.

"You too, Staryu. Return." Misty said as she pointed a pokeball towards Staryu, causing the star fish pokemon to get retracted back into the pokeball. She then clipped the pokeball back onto her belt and turned to Ash and Pikachu. "Want to walk in my arms, Pikachu?" she asked as she sweetly smiled at the yellow mouse sitting on his trainer's shoulder while she held her arms open for him to jump.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu happily nodded as he jumped from Ash's shoulder towards Misty's waiting arms.

Misty giggled as she caught Pikachu; however, this action caused a sharp pain to shoot through her left arm which made her wince in pain.

"Misty!?" Ash asked as he stepped closer to Misty. "What's wrong?" he worriedly asked.

"Pika." Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped to the ground and stood next to Misty, a worried expression on his face.

"My arm," Misty said as she clenched her upper left arm with her other hand. "It hurts." She informed Ash and Pikachu.

Ash inspected Misty's arm with a worried expression on his face. "It looks like it's bruised and cut." He finally announced. "Come on; let's get to the Pokemon Center. I bet Nurse Joy will know what to do." He said.

"Right." Misty agreed with Ash.

"Pika Pika, Pikachupi." Pikachu exclaimed to Misty with drooped ears and a sad expression on his face.

"Awh, don't apologize, Pikachu." Misty comforted Pikachu. "It's not your fault." She reassured him. "Now come on; get up here!" she said as she motioned to her right shoulder.

"Pika!" Pikachu happily replied by jumping onto Misty's right shoulder, thus avoiding any contact with her injured left arm.

Ash smiled at Pikachu and Misty, before turning into the road heading back to Cerulean City. "Come on; let's get you guys to the Pokemon Center." He declared.

"Right behind you." Misty acknowledged as she walked next to Ash down the road…

"So Ash," Misty started as she, Ash and Pikachu on her shoulder walked through a not-too-crowded street in Cerulean City. "I take it that your battle with Team Rocket was pretty easy?" she inquired.

"Well, I wouldn't say it was EASY…" Ash answered, placing his forefinger on his chin in thought.

"It wasn't?" Misty asked as she turned her face completely to Ash, curious to hear what had happened.

And so Ash informed Misty of how he faced Team Rocket, being outnumbered five-to-two and being at a huge disadvantage. He also told her how he came up with a brilliant strategy to counter the disadvantage and finally send Team Rocket flying through the stratosphere.

"Wow, that was good thinking, Ash." Misty complimented Ash on his quick thinking.

"Why thank you." Ash replied, his noise pointed into the air because of his inflated ego.

"Too bad you couldn't think that fast in your previous league matches." Misty mocked with a smirk, which caused Ash to face fault and Pikachu to scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ash indignantly asked as he glared at Misty after recovering from his fault.

"Oh, nothing…" Misty nonchalantly said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Hey look, we're here…" she declared before Ash could say anything else.

Ash's attention immediately turned to their injured pokemon as well as Misty's injured arm. "Let's go get you guys patched up!" he declared before stomping through the front doors of the Pokemon Center.

Misty simply sighed along with Pikachu at Ash's hastiness before following his example and walking through the front doors of the Pokemon Center.

Once Misty and Pikachu entered the Pokemon Center; they spotted Ash already making his way over to Nurse Joy, not even bothering to wait for them.

Misty sighed once more before also making her way over to Ash and Nurse Joy, with Pikachu in tow on her shoulder.

"Hey, Nurse Joy!" Ash happily greeted Nurse Joy.

"Hello, Nurse Joy." Misty also greeted Nurse Joy after she stopped next to Ash.

"Hello, you two." Nurse Joy greeted with a friendly smile.

"Chansey!" Chansey happily greeted from next to Nurse Joy.

"What can I do for you children today?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Well," Ash started as he took Bayleef's pokeball from his belt. "I was wondering if you could take care of my Bayleef and Pikachu please." He said as he held the pokeball out to Nurse Joy.

"And my Staryu, Nurse Joy." Misty added as she unconsciously took Staryu's pokeball from her belt with her left hand, which caused her to jerk her arm in pain.

"Misty!" Ash called out as he turned to Misty. "Are you okay?" he worriedly asked.

"Oh my, is something wrong?" Nurse Joy asked as she came around the counter and stood on the other side of Misty.

"Yeah, Nurse Joy." Ash answered. "You see, some crooks tried to steal my Pikachu. Misty tried to save him, but ended up getting hurt in the process." He explained.

"That's terrible!" Nurse Joy angrily exclaimed.

"I'm fine, you guys." Misty said. "It just hurts a little…" she added.

"Come on, dear." Nurse Joy said as she turned. "You and Ash follow me to the back. I'll fix that arm right up. Chansey, will you look after their pokemon for me?" she asked.

"Chansey!" Chansey nodded as she picked the two pokeballs up.

Pikachu gently jumped off of Misty's shoulder and followed Chansey, while Ash and Misty followed Nurse Joy through a different door…

"Hmmm…" Nurse Joy exclaimed as she examined Misty's arm. "It looks like you were hit by an Electric attack of some sort." She explained.

"An Electric attack?" Misty repeated in thought. "I must have gotten hit when Pikachu was protecting us from Arbok's Poison Sting!" she figured.

"Yeah, that's probably what happened!" Ash agreed.

"Well, in any case, don't worry." Nurse Joy said. "It's nothing serious." She added as she pulled a Potion bottle closer to them. "Now, this is going to sting a bit…" she said as she held Misty's arm straight before spraying the bottle's contents on the wound.

"GYAAH!" Misty yelled as the contents made contact with the sensitive wounding, causing her to jerk her arm back and blow on it.

Ash laughed at Misty's unfortunate circumstance, which earned him a glare from the redhead. But to be honest; he really didn't care. He was just happy that Misty would be fine after all of the drama.

"Now, hold still." Nurse Joy ordered Misty as she took hold of her arm and started covering the wound with bandages while Misty and Ash intently watched. "There, all done." She declared as she stepped away from Misty.

"So, how do you feel, Misty?" Ash asked.

"It's all better! Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!" Misty exclaimed as she stood up from the examination bed.

"It's no problem, dear." Nurse Joy assured Misty. "Now remember: No strenuous activity for the next couple of days, and make sure properly clean that wound, okay?" she prescribed.

"Sure, thanks again, Nurse Joy." Misty politely said.

"It's a pleasure. Now follow me, so we can go check up on your pokemon." Nurse Joy said as she walked through the corridor, followed by Ash and Misty, which lead back to the front desk…

"Now if you would just wait here while I go check up on your pokemon and Chansey." Nurse Joy said before disappearing through another door which probably lead to Chansey and their pokemon.

"Wow, what a day…" Ash said as he pluffed down on a couch in the waiting area of the Pokemon Center.

"Tell me about it…" Misty agreed as she sat down next to Ash, albeit more carefully because of her injured arm.

The two of them sat in relative silence after that as they waited for Nurse Joy to return from inspecting their pokemon. They soon spotted Nurse Joy coming through the door which she disappeared into earlier and both of them stood up and made their way over towards her.

"How are our pokemon doing, Nurse Joy?" Ash curiously asked as he and Misty stood before Nurse Joy.

"I'm happy to say that all of your pokemon will be just fine." Nurse Joy informed Ash and Misty, to which they started to cheer, until they were interrupted by Nurse Joy. "But, I would like to keep them here for a little while, since they are pretty exhausted and the peace and quiet in here will do them good." She proposed.

"Sure, it's no problem, Nurse Joy." Ash answered. "Thanks so much." He added.

"It's no problem, you two." Nurse Joy said. "Be sure to pick your pokemon up before 7 o'clock. I don't want you outside after that hour." She informed Ash and Misty.

"We won't." Misty answered as she and Ash turned around. "See you later, Nurse Joy!" she greeted Nurse Joy.

"So long, Nurse Joy." Ash greeted Nurse Joy before he and Misty made their way towards the front doors.

"Goodbye, children! See you later!" Nurse Joy greeted Ash and Misty as they disappeared through the front doors…

"So…" Misty stated as she and Ash stood outside the Pokemon Center. "What are we going to do now?" she inquired as she turned to Ash.

"Hmmm…" Ash exclaimed as he placed his hand under his chin, giving the situation some thought. "Well…we could go get something to eat!" he proposed, which resulted in Misty slapping her palm against her forehead. "I mean…we didn't actually have anything to eat at the restaurant, so I'm pretty hungry…" he added.

"Well, if you put it that way; it seems like a good idea." Misty replied. "Let's go get something to eat, then. And I know the perfect place to eat at!" she declared.

"Alright!" Ash cheered with a fist pump through the air. "Lead the way, Misty!" he anxiously said.

Misty smiled and started walking down the road, with Ash in tow, towards the restaurant she was talking about…

"Man, Team Rocket has really made a nuisance of themselves these last few days…" Ash said as he walked a bit behind Misty with his hands behind his head.

"Yeah, and they almost got away with Pikachu on both of those times…" Misty stated.

"So that's why it's a good thing that we'll be leaving soon." Ash nonchalantly declared.

"Leaving?" Misty repeated.

"Yeah, you said your sisters are coming back in a couple of days, so then we can hit the road again!" Ash enthusiastically stated.

"Ash, we're not leaving in a couple of days…" Misty informed Ash.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked as he frowned at Misty. "Of course we're leaving!" he irritatedly repeated.

"No, we're not!" Misty firmly replied as she glared over her shoulder at Ash.

"But-"Ash started protesting.

"Drop it." Misty firmly said, causing Ash to keep quiet. "We're here." She declared as she stopped in front of a red building named Cerulean Kiosk Plaza. She then proceeded to enter the building without even acknowledging Ash's existence.

Ash quickly followed Misty, but decided to rather keep quiet for the time being.

The two of them were welcomed by a male waiter.

"Good day." The waiter greeted Ash and Misty. "I am Peter and I will be your waiter for the day. Table for two?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you." Misty simply replied before Peter nodded and started leading her and Ash through the restaurant.

The two of them sat down at the table which Peter prescribed to them.

"Would the two of you like anything to drink?" Peter asked after he placed menus in front of Ash and Misty.

"A glass of water, please." Misty simply replied after a moment, to which Peter responded to by writing it down in his notebook and nodding in acknowledgement.

Ash was frowning at Misty every now-and-then, wondering what he did to tick her off this time. He then looked up and noticed Peter looking at him, waiting for his drink order. "Oh, uhm…I'll have an Orange Soda, please." He hastily ordered, followed by Peter scribbling it in his notebook.

"I'll be back with your drinks shortly." Peter said as he slightly bowed before making his way back towards his other tables.

Ash then turned back to Misty, who was not paying any attention to him and kept her eyes in the menu. He frustratingly glared at her before finally giving up and started looking through the menu, although he didn't really pay attention to it as he kept stealing glances at the redhead. _'What did I do this time…'_ Ash groaned in his head.

Peter soon returned with their respective drinks and placed them in front of Misty and Ash. "Have you decided what you want to eat?" he politely asked.

Ash was about to open his mouth to place his order, but he was interrupted by Misty.

"We'll have a medium-sized pizza." Misty firmly stated, causing Ash to look at her in surprise and objection.

Peter nodded as he scribbled something down in his notebook. "Toppings?" he asked.

"How abou-" Ash started, before being cut off again.

"Pineapple and mushrooms." Misty said.

Peter nodded as he scribbled something down. "Your order will be here in 3 – 4 minutes." He said before slightly bowing and made his way back to the kitchen.

"Misty, what's going on?" Ash angrily demanded.

Misty venomously glared at Ash. "Did you just raise your voice at me, Ash Ketchum?" she asked.

"Well, yes." Ash said, feeling slightly guilty. "But that's only because-" he started protesting.

"Save it." Misty cut him off.

"Misty." Ash gently said. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't want to talk about it now." Misty firmly answered.

"But-"Ash started again, but he was interrupted as Peter returned with their pizza.

"Here you go." Peter said as he placed the pizza in between Ash and Misty.

"Thanks." Ash and Misty simultaneously said before Peter nodded and went back to the kitchen.

Misty wasted no time in taking a slice of pizza and started eating, using it as a way to avoid communicating with Ash. _'Stupid Ash. How can he just expect me to pack up and leave all of a sudden? I can't just leave the Gym!'_ she scowled in her head as she viciously took another bite of her slice of pizza.

Ash had given up trying to talk to Misty and simply looked around them as he ate his third slice of pizza, although he ate much slower than normal (he would have been busy with his sixth now under normal circumstances). He noticed that the restaurant was now much less crowded than it was when they first entered, probably because most people's lunch breaks were over.

The rest of Ash and Misty's meal went by without another word. Peter came and picked up their empty plate and glasses before returning once more to give them the bill before returning to the kitchen.

"I'll take care of the bill." Ash said as he reached out to pick the said bill up, but his attempt failed when Misty grabbed the bill before him.

"I'LL take care of it." Misty announced as she took the bill and stood up.

"But Misty," Ash started protesting as he got up and followed Misty, who was making her way over to the front desk.

"I said I'll take care of it, so stop worrying!" Misty coldly stated as she stopped in front of the counter where payments were handled. "Please put it on the Cerulean Gym's tab." Misty told the woman who was sitting behind the counter, to which the woman nodded and typed on the computer before nodding again, signalling that the meal has been recorded.

Misty then exited the restaurant with Ash on her heels. They then started heading back to the Gym.

Ash glared at the back of Misty's head the whole time. He was starting get beyond agitated at the redhead's blatant ignoring of him. "Misty," he started.

"Not now, Ash." Misty plainly answered as she kept walking.

"Yes, now!" Ash yelled as he firmly grabbed Misty's shoulder, forcing her to stop and face him.

Misty stared at Ash; her eyes wide open with shock and her mouth slightly agape.

"Tell me what's going on!" Ash said through grinded teeth as he placed his other hand on Misty's other shoulder. "NOW!" he added.

Misty stared at Ash out of shock for a moment, before a glare started making its way onto her face. "Do you want to know what's wrong Ash? Do you want to know why I can't just leave?" she rhetorically asked as she jerked her shoulders, causing Ash's hands to release their grip. "It's because I have RESPONSIBILITY!" she answered herself.

Ash looked at Misty with a shocked expression because of her sudden outburst.

"I can't just leave the Gym!" Misty continued. "I have a responsibility towards the Gym as well as the pokemon! It's my home, Ash!" she added.

"I don't see the point in staying." Ash simply stated. "I mean, your sisters are coming back in about a weeks' time. So we just get someone like Tracey to take care of the Gym until they get back, then we can continue travelling." He suggested.

"No, Ash; it doesn't work like that." Misty again argued.

"But if we stay here; it will only leave us open for another surprise attack from Team Rocket!" Ash stated. "So if we leave by tomorrow or the day after that; we'll be safe from any sneak attacks!" he explained.

That was all Misty could take. "Do you know what, Ash?" she softly asked. "If you want to leave so badly; then GO!" she yelled into his face. "I know that's what you want to do anyway…" she softly added before turning around walked back towards the Pokemon Center.

"What do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about, Misty!" Ash protested as he jogged in front of Misty to stop her.

"I heard what you said to Professor Oak!" Misty answered him as she kept walking, right by Ash. "I heard you saying that you're going to go home…" she added as they stopped in front of the Cerulean Gym's front doors.

"What are you talking abou-"Ash started, before he stopped when the memory came back to him. "Oh that! Misty, that's not what I me-"he started explaining.

"If you want to go, then go!" Misty yelled before she stomped into the Gym.

"Misty!" Ash called out as he ran in after her.

Misty merely continued walking through the different rooms in the building before she stopped in the room where the swimming pool was located. She grabbed a pokeball on one of the racks and then walked into the living room.

"Misty, please stop and listen!" Ash pleaded as he followed from point to point.

Misty ignored Ash and then picked up his backpack, which was lying next to the couch on the floor. She then acknowledged Ash by glaring at him, before turning around and heading back the way she came: Outside, in front of the Gym.

"Misty, please…" Ash pleaded as he stopped in front of Misty outside the Gym.

"Here, take your bag and go!" Misty yelled as she shoved Ash's backpack into his arms before shoving the pokeball she took into his hand. "You can go pick your pokemon up at the Pokemon Center. Tell Pikachu and Bayleef I said goodbye." She added.

"Misty, just listen. You don't under-"Ash again tried.

"No, Ash. You don't understand." Misty coldly interrupted Ash. "You can't expect me to leave the Gym like this. I was right back then, you're just a kid." She said.

Ash looked at her with wide eyes.

"You think just like a kid." Misty added.

Ash clenched his fists as he bit his bottom lip.

"And you'll always be a ki-" Misty started saying, before Ash had heard enough…

He dropped his backpack and the pokeball, which probably belonged to Totodile, on the ground, before he stepped forward towards Misty. He looked at her before determinedly leaning in and sloppily placed his lips onto hers while placing his gloved hands on her cheeks, shutting his eyes tightly.

Misty was shocked beyond doubt. She stared wide-eyed into Ash's face, not even breathing and her arms slightly flailing next to her. Her shock didn't last long however, as she closed her eyes and leaned towards Ash. She lightly placed her hands on his shoulder as she instinctively pressed her lips a bit harder against the Pokemon Trainer's. Her hands quickly jerked away, however, as she pulled herself away from Ash.

Ash looked at Misty with his eyes wide in surprise and his mouth hanging open.

Misty breathed a bit strained as she looked at Ash with wide eyes as well.

"Mis-" Ash started, still dazed by the kiss.

"I-I-I…" Misty stuttered out as she took another few steps back. "I-I've got to go…" she quickly said before turning around and running down the road.

Ash simply stared at Misty as she ran down the road, still too shocked to really fathom what's happening. "Misty…" He mumbled as he started snapping out of his daze-like state while watching the redhead disappear into the distance...

**The first kiss! I hope you guys liked this chapter.**

**I know the conflict wasn't really original, but I guess Misty's frustration showed here.**

**Please review you guys! Positive and negative criticism is always welcome! It only helps improve my writing (****MMThunder31****: Sorry about the cliff hangers, but thanks for pointing out how you feel. Because it helps me improve. Too much tension can be really bad in some cases, because it produces blood-hungry readers and reviewers!)**

**Until next time.**

**Cheers!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Well, here's the next chapter! I hope you guys like it and I'm so sorry for only posting it now!**

**I went on vacation to my dad and was under the impression that there was now place for my laptop, so I left it at home. So I wasted 2 weeks' worth of writing time! So sorry…**

**Anyway, I'm heading off to college in 2 weeks' time.**

**Right, next topic: I still have a lot to write on this story, so I'm asking you guys, the readers.**

**Would you like me to continue on this story, or should I make a sequel? Please PM me your vote. DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR REVIEWS!**

**Anyway, here's chapter 18 of Changing Ways.**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 18:**

"SIGH…"

Bored and frustrated: That's how he felt at this very moment. Yet, he also felt happy, nervous (but in a good way), and he was experiencing a series of turns in his stomach which he couldn't even begin to understand or even describe…

"SIGH…" Ash sighed for umpteenth time in the last hour or so. He was currently sitting on the couch in front of the television inside the Cerulean Gym. After the event that unfolded which involved him kissing Misty and her running away from him outside the Gym; he decided to wait for the red-head for a good half an hour in front of the door. When he eventually decided that she isn't coming back right now; he decided to head inside and continue his waiting there.

"Pikapi, Pika Pikachupi?" Pikachu inquired Misty's whereabouts from next to Ash on the couch while he looked up at his master with a slightly curious frown on his face.

Ash sighed again. "I wish I knew, buddy…" he mumbled before turning his attention back to the television. He was hoping to avoid the subject that was Misty, but he figured that it would come up sometime in one of his and Pikachu's conversations.

Ash went to the Pokemon Center and picked up his and Misty's pokemon a few hours ago, and he and Pikachu were currently sitting on the couch in front of the television watching some movie. Ash's attention however, was nowhere close to whatever movie was playing. His mind kept drifting towards Misty, towards what happened and how things will be between them after the 'argument'. He didn't feel very confident about the situation at the moment…

"Pikapi, Pikachu?" Pikachu again inquired as he looked up at Ash. He had a worried expression on his face because of Ash's quiet, stressed-out behaviour.

"Nothing's wrong, Pikachu." Ash said as he looked down at Pikachu and half-heartedly smiled at the yellow mouse. He then turned his attention back to the television, before he noticed a small yellow clock on top of the television, which read '19:45'."It's getting late…" he groaned.

Ash and Pikachu continued sitting in front of the television in relative silence for a little while longer, before Ash became restless…

"Where is she?" Ash asked himself as he looked down at his lap, his teeth clenched together. _'Why did you do that, Ash? Why did you have to kiss her, you idiot!?'_ he thought. _'Our friendship is probably ruined and she probably hates me even more now…'_ he continued thinking. _'But that's no reason to stay away, especially this late!'_ he thought as he grinded his teeth in frustration before standing up off of the couch, not seeing the occurrence as a valid excuse.

"Pika?" Pikachu exclaimed when he noticed Ash standing up. He then jumped off of the couch and started following his master, who started moving through the room towards the next one.

"Come on, Pikachu." Ash started as he put his hat back onto his head. "We're gonna go look for Misty!" he determinedly declared as he held his fist in the air in front of him out of determination.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped onto Ash's shoulder, ready to accompany his master in his search for their red-headed friend.

Luckily for Ash; it was off season, thus the Gym was closed for another couple of weeks before the Pokemon League started again. So, it was perfectly fine to lock the Gym's doors over the course of the last couple of days. He knew where Misty kept the spare key on the outside, seeing as that is how he got into the Gym in the first place earlier in the day.

Ash and Pikachu went outside the Gym, Ash locking the door behind them and the two of them then started making their way into town, in search of Misty…

Ash groaned in frustration a while later. He and Pikachu had walked through most of the city in search of Misty, but there was no sign of her. They had walked into every shop and building that was still open, they asked every person they came across if they had seen the red-head (A lot of people knew Misty, much to Ash's surprise since she is rarely home and always with him on his journey.), but it was in vain as the red-head was nowhere to be found and no one had seen her. "Come on, Pikachu." Ash started. "We've still got a few places to search…" he said, still trying to keep their hopes up, as he started walking down the street again, not ready to give up on searching for her.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu exclaimed from on top of Ash's shoulder, nodding in determination, before the two of them began their search for Misty once more…

Ash and Pikachu went inside every shop and every restaurant that was still open in Cerulean City and had yet to be inspected by the two of them. Pretty soon; they had looked in every open establishment and there was still no sign of Misty in any one of them. They had searched through everything and the two of them now stood on the opposite side of the city from where they had started searching.

"Misty, where the heck are you!?" Ash frustratingly muttered to himself with his fists clenched out of frustration at their failure of locating Mist, even though they searched through the entire city.

"Pika Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu exclaimed as he slightly smiled down at Ash while lightly patting his master on his shoulder, trying to cheer Ash, as well as himself, up mentally.

"Yeah…" Ash mumbled while he nodded slightly, not really paying attention to Pikachu's antics and attempts to cheer him up. "Come on; let's head back to the Gym." Ash said as he started walking down the road again. "Maybe Misty's already there waiting for us..." He optimistically said to the yellow mouse as he turned his head to look at him as the two of them once again started walking through the streets of Cerulean City, on their way back to the Cerulean Gym with hopes of finding Misty there waiting for them.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed with an excited paw-pump into the air, but he also knew that it might only be a vague possibility at least, seeing as they would have spotted her if she indeed headed in the direction of the Gym.

Time had really went by fast while Ash and Pikachu were searching for Misty during the late-afternoon, and night time quickly started to envelope Cerulean City, with only the occasional streetlamp providing some vague light for the two of them as they walked down the now-empty road. Most of the city's residents have either retired to their homes or are dining at a restaurant of some sort.

"Wow, I can barely see anything without the streetlamps…" Ash remarked as he squinted his eyes to try and see in front of him and Pikachu, finding it really hard to get his eyes to focus in the darkness that now surrounded them. "Can you see anything, Pikachu?" he asked as he turned his face towards the yellow mouse sitting on his shoulder, hoping to receive a positive answer to his question.

"Pika." Pikachu negatively shook his head from Ash's shoulder as he also strained to try and see anything in front of them.

"Darn…" Ash mumbled while looking at Pikachu, but his eyes soon caught something behind the yellow mouse's form. "Hey, how come I never noticed that little road before?" he asked as he stopped and completely turned to face what was indeed a little dirt road on the northeast side of Cerulean City.

The little dirt road appeared to lead out of Cerulean City and looked as if it was covered by thick bushes on both sides, keeping it hidden if a person didn't look closely.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu stated with a shrug of his shoulders as he and Ash stared at the little road.

"Well," Ash started, curiosity getting the better of him. "Let's find out where it leads, then!" Ash declared as he pointed at the little dirt road.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed from Ash's shoulder before Pikachu and his master started walking down the dirt road, on their way to finding out what awaits them at the other end of the little path…

Ash soon realised though, that following the little dirt road was easier said than done, especially in the darkness that was now accompanied by the night…

"Ouch!" Ash yelled as his toe connected with a rogue branch lying on the ground. It was the fourth object he's banged against in the little road and his feet along with his shins have definitely taken quite a beating which will certainly be showing tomorrow. "Stupid darkness, stupid road…" Ash mumbled as he kept going forward, not straying away from the task at hand.

Pikachu merely sighed at Ash's unfortunate predicament and watched his master's repetitive injuries occurring from on top of his shoulder where everything was safe, or so he thought…

"Pikachu, watch out for that-"Ash tried warning Pikachu, but it was just too late…

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he painfully connected with a…

"Tree…" Ash finally finished his warning with a sweat drop forming on the back of his head. "Hehe…sorry about that, buddy." He apologized as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Pika…" Pikachu moaned as he rubbed his aching head.

"I'll be more careful from now on, Pikachu." Ash assured Pikachu as the two of them kept moving forward.

"Pika." Pikachu nodded, but soon after that he had to quickly dodge another oncoming rogue branch!

"Starting now…" Ash exclaimed as he scratched the back of his head again.

"Pika…" Pikachu exclaimed as he glared down at Ash, starting to become a bit irritated with being hit by branches.

Ash finally decided to stop trying to see everything in front of him and Pikachu and merely started following his gut and his senses. This method worked slightly better as he missed more objects by simply winging it. The two of them finally got out of the dirt road as it started opening up ahead of them, with Ash only bumping into three more objects on their way through. Pikachu luckily escaped any more painful branches. The bushy surroundings around the road completely vanished in front of them and the sounds of crashing waves could be heard.

"Yes!" Ash cheered as he jumped onto the open ground in front of him and Pikachu. He then sat down and started rubbing his aching legs, trying to relieve some pain caused by the bumps with various objects. "Phew, thank goodness that's over with…" he stated before getting back up onto his feet.

"Pika Pikachu." Pikachu exclaimed from next to Ash on the ground, nodding in agreement with his master on that statement.

Ash looked up and started scanning their current surroundings. "Wow…" he exclaimed when he noticed the sound of crashing waves in front of him. He then spotted the seemingly-endless blue liquid. "The ocean…" he stated in awe. "This place is beautiful…" he remarked as he dumbfoundedly stared at the sight in front of him.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu exclaimed and again nodded in agreement as he also looked at the ocean spreading across the horizon in front of them.

Ash looked down along the coast, until his eyes caught something. "Hey, what's that?" he asked out loud as he locked on to the figure he saw a couple of yards from where he and Pikachu were currently standing.

"Pika?" Pikachu inquired as he looked up at Ash before also turning towards the figure in front of him and his master.

Ash again had to squint, but the light from the moon reflecting off of the ocean gave him some assistance, albeit very little. Upon better examination; Ash realised that it was a big boulder. But what he saw on top of the boulder was what caught his eye the most. "Misty!" he silently whispered to himself.

Yes; it was indeed Misty that was sitting on top of the slightly high boulder. She was staring out at the ocean in front of her, so she didn't notice Ash and Pikachu standing behind her, yet...

Ash let out a huge sigh of relief. He had finally found Misty and, because of that fact; he felt much better now because he now knew that she is fine and not missing or in any kind of trouble like he had started to suspect. However, as soon as the relief came to him; it was replaced by horror. He had indeed finally found Misty, but that meant that he now had to confront her, the first time he had to confront her since he decided to kiss her earlier today! Ash visibly gulped as he slowly started backing away from where the red-head was sitting on the boulder. So far so good, until…

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu excitedly cried out.

"CRUD." Ash muttered, freezing on the spot in reaction to Pikachu's outcry.

Pikachu, on the other hand, approached the situation completely different than Ash had planned. He called out to Misty and then scampered off towards her, leaving Ash behind, involuntary cursing at the yellow mouse's actions.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu called out again as he stormed towards Misty.

"Huh…" Misty exclaimed when she heard the noise behind her. She then turned her head and looked over her shoulder, where she spotted a little yellow ball running towards her. "Pikachu?" she curiously exclaimed as she started recognizing the yellow ball as none other than Pikachu.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped through the air towards Misty.

Misty turned to face Pikachu. She then held her arms out towards the yellow mouse and he jumped into them, after which Misty laughed at antics and held him tight against her. "What are you doing here, Pikachu?" she curiously asked while smiling at Pikachu.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu replied as he nuzzled his cheek up against Misty.

"Awh, did you miss me?" Misty sweetly asked as she looked down at Pikachu and snuggled him against her. But something behind Pikachu's body caught her attention after that. She looked up from Pikachu and her eyes fell on none other than Ash, whom was standing a few feet away from the boulder she was sitting on, facing her and Pikachu.

Ash was looking towards the boulder, on which Misty and Pikachu sat, in a very awkward way, almost as if he was dying to get out of the situation at hand. He really didn't want to confront Misty right now, in fear that she might be mad at him or something similar to that. "Stupid Pikachu…" he muttered to himself. He couldn't be mad at Pikachu, to be honest. The yellow mouse didn't know what was going on, so he didn't have any ill intensions when he ran to Misty. It was an innocent action that Ash couldn't blame Pikachu for.

Misty kept her gaze directed at Ash, who hadn't moved an inch from the spot where he froze moments ago. She intently stared at the pokemon trainer. To be honest; she felt just as uncomfortable and awkward as Ash did, so she also didn't want to face a confrontation with Ash right now. But yet, she also knew that it is inevitable and it is bound to happen sooner, rather than later. She continued staring at Ash for a few moments while biting down on her lower lip. She finally gave off a soft sigh before putting a smile on her face. She then nodded her head at Ash, motioning for him to come over to where she and Pikachu were sitting on the boulder.

The moon reflected off of the ocean's surface, so Ash saw Misty's gesture quite clearly from where he was standing. His eyes grew slightly wider when he saw the red-heads plead for him to go to her and his nervousness immediately grew in velocity. He visibly gulped at the thought of talking to Misty right now. _'Come on, Ash; you can do this!'_ he mentally yelled to himself as he shook his head from side to side to regain his senses. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes momentarily, before he slowly started walking over towards the boulder, where Misty and Pikachu were awaiting him...

The walk towards Misty and Pikachu was a very stressful activity for Ash. He actually hoped that the walk would be a long one, so he wouldn't have to face his red-headed friend so soon. But the distance between him and them was soon reduced to nothing and he now faced Misty. Ash really didn't know how to approach this tense situation. He really wanted the awkwardness to be over, but he didn't know what to say to Misty right now.

Ash instead walked around the boulder, taking a quick glance at Misty along the way. He then pluffed down on the soft sea sand that was scattered all over the coast and he leaned back against the boulder, staring out over the ocean in front of him.

Misty merely smiled slightly before spinning around on the boulder until she also faced the ocean, with Pikachu still in her arms.

The scenario now was that Misty sat on top of the boulder with Pikachu situated in her arms, while Ash was sitting in front of them on the ground, leaning back against the boulder. All three of them were staring out over the vast sea in front of them.

Ash bit down on his bottom lip. He really felt uncomfortable in this situation and really wanted to end this awkwardness between him and Misty. But he didn't have the guts to talk to her. So he chose to rather keep quiet and he kept his gaze directed at the ocean in front of him.

Misty was in the same boat that Ash was in. She too wanted to end this ensuing awkward silence between them, but she simply didn't know how! She bit her bottom lip and looked down towards Ash in front of her, before looking back at the ocean.

An awkward, frustrating silence between Ash and Misty followed, in which neither of them even stole a glance at the other. Pikachu started noticing this relative quiet atmosphere, but decided to rather keep his mouth shut as he sensed some conflict between the two humans.

Ash bit down hard on his bottom lip. He was really tempted to just try and make things right with Misty, but he just couldn't get over the awkwardness that was now between him and the red-head. He hated it. He hated himself. Yes, he and Misty bickered more often than not, but it was always resolved very quickly. It was more playful than serious. But this, this was ridiculous! He then hit his fist into the soft sea sand he was sitting on, grinding his teeth together in aggravation, until…

"You know…" Ash heard a voice speaking from above him, snapping him out of his frustrating mood. He looked up over his shoulder towards the source of the voice: Misty!

Misty smiled and was still looking out over the ocean. "This is my favourite place to come to in Cerulean City." She added, still not making eye-contact with Ash but rather looking out over the ocean in front of them. "It's so quiet here, like it's only you and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach." She explained. "It's like no-one knows about this place. Like it's my secret little world, you know?" she added as she finally looked away from the vast ocean and down towards Ash, still keeping the smile on her face while watching him, awaiting an answer.

Ash had intently listened the entire time through Misty's story. When she eventually looked at him; he again found it too awkward to say anything to the red-head. So he instead forced a smile at Misty and nodded at her, signalling that he gets it, before he turned his attention back at the ocean in front of him.

And so, the silence between the two of them continued…

As soon as Ash was sure that his face was out of Misty's sight; he clenched his jaws shut out of anger and frustration. _'Stupid Ash, stupid!'_ he mentally scolded himself. _'She tried to break the ice; she tried to make the first move. And you didn't have the guts to do anything!'_ he continued. He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to relax. _'Okay, Ash. It's now or never…'_ he thought, building up his courage. "Misty…I…." he squeaked out, causing it to sound a lot more strained, before he kept quiet again, not really knowing what to say.

Misty looked down at Ash after he staggered out those two words. She then hastily turned her attention to Pikachu, who was sitting next to her on the boulder. She gave the yellow mouse a fake smile before turning her attention back to Ash below them.

Pikachu took Misty's fake smile as his signal. He knew that something was wrong between the two humans and he had decided beforehand that he was going to give them some time alone to sort whatever it was, out. So he stood up, stretched out a bit, and then finally jumped off of the boulder and landed on the soft sea sand.

Pikachu's action caused Ash to turn his attention to the yellow mouse. "Pikachu?" he asked. "Where're you going, buddy?" he asked as he curiously looked at Pikachu.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu exclaimed with a slight wave towards Ash and Misty before running down towards the water. He then sat down close to the water and stared out over the ocean, giving the two humans some time alone to sort everything out.

Ash merely shrugged at Pikachu's actions, before he was interrupted by Misty.

"Yes, Ash?" Misty silently asked from on top of the boulder behind Ash.

Ash gulped as he remembered why he opened his mouth earlier. He took a deep breath, before speaking. "I-I just want to say that I'm sorry…" he mumbled out.

Misty looked down at Ash for quite some time with an emotionless face, before a small smile made its way onto her face. _'Finally…'_ she thought. "No, Ash." She answered, which caused Ash to stare at her wide-eyed, which Misty interpreted as fear. "I'm the one that should be sorry." She quickly added. "I overreacted back there. I know you only meant well and wanted to protect me." She said while sincerely smiling down at the pokemon Trainer.

Ash looked up at Misty before smiling at her. "And I'm sorry too." He said. "I'm sorry for putting so much pressure on you. I realise now that the Gym is your home. And that you need to look after your home and can't just abandon it." He explained with a half-hearted smile. "So, I'll stay here with you at the Gym until you feel ready to leave." He declared as he looked at Misty.

Misty sincerely smiled as she looked at Ash. "Thank you, Ash." She softly said. "Thank you for understanding and thank you for supporting my decision." She added.

Ash nodded in recognition as he smiled at Misty. He then turned back to face the ocean and looked at Pikachu, who was playing in the sand with his paws. _'Thanks, buddy…'_ he silently thanked the yellow mouse as he watched him play.

Misty looked down at Ash while unconsciously smiling at him. "I almost forgot something, Ash." She announced.

"Hmm?" Ash exclaimed as he looked back up to Misty. "What do you mean you forgot something, Misty? What is it?" he curiously asked as he frowned at the red-head.

Misty merely smiled before she carefully slid down the face of the boulder and landed with a soft thud on the soft sand next to Ash.

"Well?" Ash asked. He was starting to get impatient because of curiousness.

Misty smiled slightly at Ash's curiousness. She then slowly leaned closer and closer to Ash's face, causing the pokemon Trainer to gulp slightly. She stopped with her lips just short of Ash's left ear. "This…" she softly whispered into his ear, causing involuntary chills to run through Ash's body. She then lowered her face before planting a soft, simple kiss on Ash's left cheek. She kept her lips there for a few moments before slowly pulling away from Ash and sat back down on the sand.

Ash merely kept sitting on the ground with a blush on his cheeks and a goofy grin on his face.

Misty, who also had a pinkish blush on her cheeks, giggled at Ash's expression. "Thank you, Ash." She said.

"For what?" Ash asked, having seemingly snapped out of his trance, as he stared at Misty in confusion.

"For my first kiss…" Misty answered with her blush still intact. "That kiss you gave me at the Gym was my first…" she further explained.

"Oh…" Ash exclaimed as he blushed. He then grinned and sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

Misty giggled at Ash again. "Come on," she said as she got up onto her feet. "Let's get back to the Gym. It's getting late." She added.

"Right." Ash agreed as he also got up onto his feet. "Pikachu!" he called at Pikachu, who was still situated in front of them on the beach.

Pikachu had witnessed Ash and Misty's little scene, but decided to play dumb and keep quiet about it. "Pika?" he exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder at Ash.

"Come on, buddy. We're heading back to the Gym!" Ash yelled at Pikachu before turning around and started catching up to Misty.

"Pika Pika, Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled as he scampered towards Ash and Misty.

Ash and Misty continued walking ahead, knowing that Pikachu would catch up and knew the way home if he got left behind somehow.

"So…" Ash exclaimed, breaking the silence between him and Misty. "Does this mean that we're like, dating?" he carefully asked.

"Hmmm…" Misty exclaimed with her finger on her chin, giving the situation some thought. "Well, I don't recall you asking me out…so no, I don't think we're dating…" she concluded.

Ash breathed a soft sigh of relief. To be honest, he didn't know anything about relationships and stuff like that, so this suited him better.

"But," Misty interrupted his thoughts. "Don't think you'll get rid of me that easily. You still owe me a bike, remember?" she reminded Ash.

"Uh, yeah. Of course I remember! Hehe…" Ash nervously said while scratching the back of his head.

Misty simply nodded and kept on walking.

"You know, that was my first kiss too…" Ash informed Misty.

"Don't lie to me, Ash." Misty replied.

"I'm not lying!" Ash retorted with a slight glare. "That was my first kiss!" he repeated.

"Oh? And what about Alto Mare, hmm? Have you forgotten that I WAS THERE WHEN IT HAPPENED!?" Misty yelled into Ash's face.

"Alto Mare…?" Ash tried recalling that name. "Oh, that!" he said as he finally remembered, before his eyes grew wide. "Wait. Misty, that doesn't count!" he yelled at Misty, who had started walking again.

Misty merely ignored Ash and kept walking.

"I didn't kiss back!" Ash again yelled, which Misty ignored again.

"That was a pokemon, Misty!" Ash again tried, with Misty again ignoring him.

"Misty! Wait!" Ash yelled.

"Misty!"

"Misty!"

"MISTY!"

And so, Misty walked back to the Gym, Ash and Pikachu hot on her heels, with Ash trying to explain that Alto Mare simply didn't count…

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please review, ALL OF YOU! Like I said, your reviews fill my motivation to write.**

**And please, remember to PM me your votes!**

**Until next chapter…**


	19. Chapter 19

**I bet you guys are excited with this, eh? Two chapters in four days!**

**Yeah, I really have nothing to do, so I wrote and wrote and wrote…until I started playing this cool game two days ago, which kind of hindered my writing.**

**So, I've decided to continue on this story and not make a sequel. ShadowHogzilla PM'ed me and your argument in the message kind of motivated me to do the opposite of what you voted for…sorry about that!**

**The kiss…I want to apologise for it. I didn't do my homework regarding that piece and after looking at it again; I think I agree that it was on the cheek, and not on the lips. I want to thank CharlieBoneFan as well as apologise to her…You were right dudette, sorry. I rectified it in this chapter.**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

**Remember to review, tell me what you think of this story so far!**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 19: What're sisters for? Screwing stuff up? Maybe not…:**

"Misty, would you hurry up!" Ash yelled over his shoulder, irritation evident on his face as he glared behind him.

"Relax, Ash!" Misty screamed back at Ash, who was quite a few feet in front of her. "This isn't a marathon! There's no prize waiting for you at home!" she angrily added.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu were on their way back to Pallet Town and the two humans were once again engaged in one of their famous quarrels.

"Pika Pika…" Pikachu exclaimed from on top of Ash's shoulder, shaking his head in aggravation. His master and Misty continuously fought like this. It was like a rollercoaster ride travelling with the two of them: One moment they're ripping each other's heads off, and the next moment they casually talk to each other, as if nothing happened! It was way too complex for the yellow mouse to understand, so he merely sighed at the humans' bickering.

"But Misty!" Ash started complaining once more as he kept walking, but with his front side now facing Misty, so he was walking backwards. "The letter that came with the parcel said that we have to get in Pallet Town as soon as possible!" he moaned at the red-head.

The relationship between Ash and Misty, regarding love, was back to normal again. The two of them decided that, since neither one of them really knew much about dating and stuff like that, they would keep couple-stuff to the minimum for now. The awkwardness between was gone, but they were still very unsure about this love-thing. Ash, being who he is, was completely clueless to say the least. That kiss he gave Misty that night was completely instinctive. So, it was safe to say that he would not experiment with love. Misty on the other hand, would try to partake in a romantic gesture every now-and-then. The odd brushing of hands, that sort of thing. But it would always end one-sided.

On a more positive note; Ash had managed to convince the red-head that the kiss they shared was indeed his first one. He had managed to convince her that the kiss in Alto Mare was on his cheek, the left cheek to be precise, and since kisses on the cheek didn't count; Ash did indeed share his first kiss with Misty. It took a lot of convincing but, the truth was out and the situation cleared up…

"The parcel didn't say that you should kill yourself by walking too fast!" Misty furiously yelled back, her face starting to turn red because of anger. "Stupid parcel…" she mumbled to herself, irritated with the contents of the said parcel that arrived a few days ago.

Ah yes; the parcel…

**[FLASHBACK…]**

_Ash had previously decided that he would wait until Misty felt that she was ready to leave before he left the Cerulean Gym. Since the Pokemon League would only be opening later in the season; Misty had a lot of free time on her hands. She used this free time to help Psyduck with its swimming. This also meant that Ash had a lot of free time on his hands. Some of that free time was now spent on serious pokemon training…_

"_Totodile: Use Water Gun!" Ash instructed Totodile. "Bayleef: Counter with Vine Whip!" he also ordered Bayleef, who was facing off against Totodile._

"_Toto – Dile!" Totodile exclaimed as it fired a power stream of water towards Bayleef._

"_Bay, Bay!" Bayleef exclaimed as she shot two powerful vines out towards the oncoming attack._

_The two attacks collided in mid-air which resulted in the Water Gun to splash in all directions as it connected with Bayleef's vines._

"_That was great, you two!" Ash cheered for Totodile and Bayleef, who both cheered their gratitude at their trainer. "You two can take a rest." He said to the two of them._

_Bayleef and Totodile both nodded and made their way over to the side of the pool._

"_Next!" Ash yelled from where he was standing._

"_Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped to in front of Ash._

"_Cookie!" Kingler exclaimed as it walked over to the opposite side of Pikachu and Ash._

"_Alright, let's get started!" Ash declared with a determined fist-pump, to which Pikachu and Kingler both cheered out of anticipation…_

_Meanwhile, Misty was still busy with her mission of finally teaching Psyduck to swim..."Come on, Psyduck: Just kick with your feet!" she irritatedly yelled at the insolent yellow duck._

"_Psy Jai Jai Jai!" Psyduck fearfully exclaimed as it squirmed with its entire body in the water, causing Misty to be splashed soaking wet and full of water._

_Misty spit some water out of her mouth, before glaring at Psyduck. "Psyduck…" she calmly started. "You're a Water-type pokemon…and Water-type pokemon know HOW TO SWIM!" she exploded. "Now get back into that water!" she ordered._

"_Psy Jai!" Psyduck negatively shook its head as it hung on to the side of the pool with all its might._

"_I said get…into…that…pool!" Misty ordered in between tugs as she desperately tried to get Psyduck into the water, but the yellow duck stubbornly resisted the red-head's tugs and kept clinging to the side._

_Misty's grip on Psyduck eventually weakened and she was sent packing backwards into the water accompanied by a big splash. She resurfaced a moment later, only to be met with the upside-down face of Ash looking down at her…_

"_AHHHH!" Misty screamed before falling back into the water again._

"_Uhm…okay…" Ash exclaimed as he scratched his head and frowned down at the water in confusion._

_Misty resurfaced once more. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ASH KETCHUM!?" she angrily yelled at Ash, who by now had returned to a straight-up position._

"_Wow, calm down, Misty!" Ash said as he defensively waved his hands in front of him. "Well, Pikachu and the others are taking a break. I think they've had enough battling for the day." He explained. "So, I came over here to see what you're up to!" he innocently exclaimed._

"_Oh, well that's very nice of you, Ash." Misty sarcastically said. "Now can you please give me a hand!" she ordered while holding her hand out to Ash._

_Ash sighed at Misty's abusive behaviour and gently took her hand before pulling her up and out of the pool._

"_Thanks." Misty said as she looked herself over and sighed. "Great, now my clothes are all wet…" she grumbled._

_Ash shook his head at Misty's unfortunate circumstance. "So, how's it going with Psyduck's swimming lessons?" he asked as he glanced over towards Psyduck._

_Misty growled at Psyduck's name. "Don't even mention that!" she scowled. "I mean, it's wearing water wings! But it still doesn't want to get in the water! How's Psyduck ever going to learn how to swim if it doesn't even try?" she exclaimed._

"_Well, maybe it's just afraid?" Ash proposed. "You know, just like you're afraid of carrots and peppers and Bug pokemon?" he explained._

"_Yeah yeah…" Misty unwillingly agreed. "Anyway, how's it going with the training?" she asked._

_Ash immediately perked up at this question. "It's going great! Totodile and Kingler are getting stronger and stronger each day!" he declared. "I've got to admit that letting them battle against pokemon that have the advantage over them is sure building up their resistance!" he added with an excited fist-pump._

"_That's fantastic!" Misty complemented. "I bet resistance like that will be very handle in a battle!" She added._

"_Yeah." Ash agreed, but his expression then turned sad. "But now Totodile and Kingler feel bad about losing." He solemnly added as he looked over to where Totodile, Kingler, Pikachu and Bayleef stood._

"_But they've got to realise that Bayleef and Pikachu have a huge advantage over them!" Misty protested. This situation really got to her. Seeing as she was a Water pokemon Trainer; she knew all about their weaknesses. She knew all too well how it felt to be almost completely powerless against their attacks._

"_Yeah, I know that…" Ash answered. "To be honest; they should be proud of themselves!" he added as a genuine smile made its way onto his face. "I mean, when we started training a few days back; they got totally beaten. But they've really grown because of all the effort we put in. Totodile managed to draw a battle with Bayleef today!" he excitedly pronounced. "And Kingler almost managed to knock Pikachu out with its Crabhammer!" he added with the same excited vigour._

_Misty smiled at Ash's unwavering determination. He really does care a lot about his pokemon…_

"_Little sis!" Misty heard an all-too-familiar voice call from the next room._

_Misty groaned in aggravation. "Yes Daisy, what is it?" she asked in a fake, cheery tone._

"_Like, where are the posters?" Daisy asked as she appeared in the doorway._

_Misty aggravatedly sighed. "What posters, Daisy?" she asked in the most calm voice she could muster._

"_The posters for our, like, water ballets!" Daisy answered with a slight scowl on her face. "We had them made before we went on our, like, cruise!" she explained._

_Misty grinded her teeth together in absolute irritation. "I don't know, Daisy. Why don't you look where you left it?" She said through clenched teeth._

"_We, like, forgot where we put it." Daisy replied as she threw her arms up in defeat._

_Misty slapped her palm against her forehead._

_Yes, the three older sisters of Misty: Daisy, Lily and Violet, were back. They had returned from their cruise a couple of days ago and were doing what they did best: Ticking their little sister off. Misty had tried to get her three sisters back into the groove of Gym Leader duty, but it was in vain so far, as the three of them had shown little to no effort. So it currently looked as if Misty would have to stay at the Gym for quite some time to come._

"_Like, Misty!" Violet, the second oldest of the four sisters, called out as she entered the room._

"_WHAT!?" Misty viciously yelled as she turned towards Violet. She was starting to get very, very irritated with her bumbling, rude sisters._

"_Misty, are you feeling okay?" Ash carefully asked from behind Misty._

"_I'm fine!" Misty yelled at Ash after turning to face him._

"_Alright alright!" Ash yelled as he back off a bit, frightened by Misty's now-furious temper._

"_Now," Misty started as she turned her attention back to Violet. "What is it?" she asked._

"_Like, chill out, little sis." Violet said as she held her arms up in front of her defensively. "I just, like, came to tell you that the two of you," she stopped, pointing to Misty and Ash. "Have like, a visitor!" she proclaimed before stepping out of the doorway._

"_Hey, you guys!" A very familiar voice greeted the occupants of the room as he stepped into the doorway._

_Ash and Misty both turned towards the source of the greeting._

"_TRACEY?" the two of them simultaneously exclaimed as they stared in surprise._

"_Hey Ash, Misty. Long time, no see!" Tracey greeted with a friendly wave of his hand._

"_Hey there, Tracey." Ash uncertainly greeted. "Yeah, it's been a while, hasn't it…" he agreed._

"_Hey, Tracey." Misty also greeted from next to Ash. "Oh, where are my manners! These are my sisters:" she started, referring to two of her sisters present in the room. "You've probably already met Violet." She said as she turned to Violet. "And this is Daisy." She added as she turned to Daisy._

"_Hey there, nice to meet you." Tracey friendly greeted Daisy._

"_Like, same here." Daisy friendly replied._

"_Hey, where's Lily?" Misty asked as she looked around for Lily._

"_Oh, I already met Lily on my way out." Tracey informed Misty. "She said something about a beauty salon?" he asked with a slight frown of confusion on his face._

_Misty aggravatedly sighed. "Yep, that about sounds like Lily…" she remarked._

_Ash, Daisy and Violet all sighed at Lily's one-track mind._

"_Anyway," Ash changed the subject as he turned to Tracey. "What're you doing here, Tracey? Aren't you supposed to be helping Professor Oak at the Lab?" he curiously asked._

"_Oh right!" Tracey exclaimed, suddenly remembering why he came to Cerulean City. He then pulled his backpack off of his shoulders, put it on the ground and started rummaging through it. "I almost forgot!" he said as he continued searching through his backpack. "Aha! Here it is!" he exclaimed as he pulled something out of his backpack. "This is for you, Ash." He said as he held the object, which appeared to be an envelope of some sort with the words 'Ash Ketchum' written on it, out to Ash._

"_For me?" Ash repeated as he took the envelope out of Tracey's hand. "What is it?" he curiously asked as he looked up from the envelope at Tracey._

"_I don't know?" Tracey stated. "Why don't you open it?" he suggested._

"_Well, okay." Ash agreed before he tore the top of the envelope off. He then pulled a small parcel out of the envelope. "What's this?" he asked out loud as he held the parcel in the air._

"_It looks like a package." Misty stated as she took a closer look at the parcel._

"_Well, there's only one way to find out…" Ash declared before he started opening the parcel._

_Misty, Tracey, Daisy and Violet all stood around Ash, also curious to see what was in the parcel._

_Ash finally removed the brown paper that covered the parcel and revealed a white little box. He then took the top lid off of the box and it revealed some shiny object. "What the heck is this?" he asked as he took the object out of the box and held it in the air in front of him._

"_Ooooh, shiny!" Daisy and Violet simultaneously exclaimed as they came closer to Ash to examine the object, which looked like a gold coin._

"_Why would someone send me a gold coin?" Ash asked out loud as he scratched his head in confusion while staring at the coin._

"_Hey Ash;" Tracey started as he stepped closer to Ash. "Do you mind if I see that?" he asked as he held his hand out to Ash._

"_Uh, sure, Tracey." Ash answered before putting the coin in Tracey's hand._

_Tracey took the coin and started examining it on one side. "Hmmm…" he exclaimed as he flipped it over and started examining the other side. "I know what this is!" he finally announced after a while._

"_You do?" Ash excitedly asked, curious as to what this coin is._

"_Well, what is it?" Misty impatiently asked, curiosity also getting the better of her._

"_This," Tracey started as he held the coin up to Misty and Ash. "Is an official Pokemon League memorabilia coin!" he declared. "Here's the official Pokemon League symbol, see?" he said as he showed them one side of the coin, on which the official Pokemon League symbol was engraved on._

"_Wow," Ash started as he took the coin from Tracey. "So, this is a Pokemon League coin?" he clarified as he looked at the coin. "But, why would someone send me this?" he asked as he frowned in confusion._

"_Hey, look at this!" Misty interrupted Ash's thoughts. "There's a letter attached to the back of the box!" she remarked as she held the bottom of the box up at Ash to see the small envelope glued to it. The envelope also had the official Pokemon League symbol printed on it. "Ash, I think this is an official letter from the Pokemon League!" she remarked._

"_It's not impossible." Tracey cut in. "They usually send these coins along with official Pokemon League documents…" he informed them._

"_You think so?" Ash asked as he looked from Tracey to Misty. "But, why would they send me a letter? It isn't as if I won my last league…" he solemnly remarked._

_Misty sincerely smiled at Ash's comment. "Well, there's only one way to find out." She announced as she gently pushed the envelope into his hands._

_Ash looked up at Misty, only to find her smiling at him. He sincerely smiled back before taking the envelope from her hands and nodded. He then slowly opened the envelope, folded the letter open and then started reading…_

**[…]**

Misty sighed at the events that occurred about four days ago. _'I'll never forget that look on Ash's face when he looked up after he finished reading that letter…'_ she thought…

**[FLASHBACK…]**

_Ash read the letter twice before he looked up from the paper. He looked directly at Misty, a hasty, scared expression on his face. "I-I…" he stuttered out._

"_Ash?" Misty exclaimed. "What's wrong?" she hastily asked as she took a step towards Ash. "What does it say?" she asked as she gently placed her hand on the letter, her finger slightly touching Ash's. She gently tugged on the letter and looked him in the eye, searching for approval to take the letter._

_Ash slowly let his grip on the letter falter, allowing Misty to take it out of his hand._

_Misty stared at Ash a little while longer after she took the letter out if his hands, searching for an answer. She then averted her gaze from Ash to the letter now in her hand._

_Tracey, Daisy and Violet all watched the scene unfold, all of them were beyond curious, but chose to stay out of it for the time being…_

_Misty slowly unfolded the letter. She then stopped and gave Ash one last look before she moved her eyes down to the letter and started reading its contents…_

'_**Ash Ketchum**_

_**With this letter; I bring to your attention, a matter within the Pokemon League which involves you, as a Pokemon Trainer.**_

_**I hereby ask, with this letter, that you respond to our request and return to your hometown of Pallet immediately. It is very important that you take immediate action to get to Pallet Town without any hesitation. Further details about this issue will await you there.**_

_**Yours Truthfully**_

_**Charles Goodshow**_

_**President of the Pokemon League.'**_

_Misty slowly let her drop to her side, but she kept her eyes where the letter was situated, staring at the ground for a few moments._

"_Little sis?" Daisy cautiously asked._

_Misty turned her face to Daisy._

_Daisy saw the look on Misty's face, one of absolute shock and terror. "Here, give this to me." She said as she slowly and gently pulled the letter out of her little sister's hand._

_Misty then turned her face back to Ash, and the two of them looked at each other for a moment._

"_Ash," Misty said, barely above a whisper. "What're we going to do?" she desperately asked._

"_I-I…I don't know, Misty…" Ash said in defeat as he looked at Misty in front of him._

"_But…" Misty softly whispered. "You have to go…" she said after a while. "It looks like something important." She added._

"_Yeah…" Ash replied while he nodded at Misty, sadness and disappointment clearly evident in his eyes._

_Ash and Misty heard Daisy gasped, the two of them assuming that she had finished reading the letter._

"_Come on," Misty started as she turned. "You've got to go and pack…" she informed Ash before she started walking towards the next room._

"_Misty…" Daisy uncertainly said as Misty stopped in front of her when she heard her name. "I'm sorry…" she genuinely said._

_Misty nodded with a fake smile. Yes, Ash leaving wasn't a big deal. But, it was a very, very big deal for her. It's true that the two of them sorted out their 'love issue' out a few days ago, but that doesn't mean that she didn't want to 'experiment', if you will. And for some reason; she felt that she would miss the goofy pokemon Trainer terribly. If she had left him at that fork near Viridian City; she was sure that it would have been much easier. But now…things were so different now. He saved her life, more than once. He kissed her! Normally, she would go with him, without a doubt. But she couldn't leave the Gym, especially not in the hands of her three sisters. So it was a lost cause._

_Misty bit her lip and then continued walking, eventually disappearing through the doorway._

_Daisy then turned to Ash, who merely sighed and followed Misty's lead, also disappearing through the same doorway._

"_Like, what's up with those two?" Violet asked as she frowned at Daisy in confusion._

"_Yeah, did I miss something?" Tracey agreed, also frowning at the oldest Waterflower sister._

_Daisy sighed. She and Misty got along way better than she did with Violet or Lily, so she knew everything about this situation. She knew about Ash kissing her little sister, about how Misty didn't really know that much about love and that she decided that she wanted to 'experiment' with Ash while they were at the Gym. Yes, she loved to tease Misty along with her other two sisters, but she was oldest. She had responsibility towards the Gym and all of her sisters, responsibility that she rarely showed in Misty's case. But seeing that look on Misty's face, that fake smile; she knew she had to do something!_

"_Like, Daisy? Hellooo?" Violet impatiently waved at Daisy. "Like, what's going on?" she asked._

_Daisy sighed to herself again before she looked. "Like, look, all I know is that we have to, like, keep those two together!" she informed Violet and Tracey._

"_Ash and Misty? But, why?" Tracey curiously asked._

"_That, like, doesn't matter, okay?" Daisy said. "We've just, like, got to keep them together…" she said, more to herself than to anyone else._

"_Why can't she just come with us, then?" Tracey asked._

_Daisy sighed again. "Because Lily, Violet and me can't run the Gym on our own yet, so she has to stay here for Gym Leader duties." She explained._

"_Hmmm…" Tracey exclaimed. "I think I can help…" he announced…_

**[…]**

Misty smiled at what she found out after that. _'That was so nice of Daisy and Tracey…I'll never forget it, ever!'_ she thought as she relived the memory…

**[FLASHBACK…]**

_Misty slowly walked back to the pool room in the Gym, where she left Daisy, Violet and Tracey to help Ash pack some food supplies. Ash walked a little bit in front of her. She sighed at this inevitable situation. Ash was going to leave…_

_Ash's mood wasn't any better than Misty's. He didn't want to just leave. His pokemon liked it here. HE liked it here! But the most important reason he came to Cerulean City…He looked back over his shoulder at the source of his reason: Misty. He sighed in defeat as he walked through the doorway, only to be greeted by three smiling humans: Tracey, Daisy and Violet along with Pikachu. "Hey guys, what's up?" he asked as he frowned at the three of them._

_Misty also walked into the room. "Huh?" she exclaimed as she noticed the three of them standing in front of her and Ash. "What're you guys doing?" she suspiciously asked._

_Daisy smiled and approached Misty. "Here," she said as she pushed something into her little sister's arms. "You're, like, going to need that." She informed Misty._

_Misty looked down at the object that Daisy put in her arms. "This is my bag?" she asked as she looked up at her oldest sister in confusion._

_Daisy nodded in approval._

_Misty frowned at Daisy. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she inquired._

_Daisy happily grinned at Misty. "Well, you can't, like, go with Ash without any, like, supplies!" she informed her youngest sister._

_Ash and Misty's moods immediately perked up after hearing this, nut the red-head's mood fell again soon after that._

"_But I can't go with him…" Misty informed Daisy with a sad expression on her face. "I have to take care of the Gym…" she explained._

_Daisy smiled at Misty. "No, little sis. You don't." she informed the red-head._

"_What do you mean 'I don't'?" Misty irritatedly asked. "Of course I do!" she added. "Are the three of you gonna do it?" she sarcastically asked._

"_Yep." Daisy simply stated as she nodded at Misty._

"_That's what I thoug-"Misty said on autopilot, before the words were processed by her brain. "Wait, what!?" she asked in disbelief._

"_Yep," Daisy repeated. "Lily, Violet and me are gonna, like, look after the Gym." She announced._

"_But, the three of you don't even like being here!" Misty incredulously remarked as she looked at Daisy in disbelief. "You never do anything to help out!" she added._

_Daisy nodded in agreement. "That's true…" she agreed. "But, like, that's why Tracey here is gonna stay here and, like, make sure we do our bit!" she said as she turned to Tracey._

_Misty turned to Tracey and gaped at him wide-eyed. "Is that true, Tracey?" she asked in disbelief._

"_Yep." Tracey said as he nodded affirmatively at Misty. "I don't really have much to do at Professor Oak's lab, so I figured that I could keep an eye on your sisters to make sure they run the Gym correctly." He explained._

"_So, you're staying here with my sister and allowing me to go with Ash?" Misty hopefully concluded._

"_Yep," Tracey nodded. "I'll stay here at the Gym until your sister get the hang of things." He explained, to which Misty responded as her expression saddened._

_Daisy, noticing Misty's expression changed, stepped up. "But, like, the three of us will work hard. You don't have to, like, worry, little sis!" she assured the red-head. She tackled moments later, though, by a flash of red._

"_Oh, Daisy!" Misty exclaimed, her arms locked tightly around Daisy's waist. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" she squealed in delight._

"_I-It's, l-like, n-no problem, l-little sis!" Daisy managed to get, the air being squeezed out of her lungs._

"_And thank to you too, Tracey!" Misty said as she loosened her grip on Daisy and picked her bag up off the floor. She then turned around and faced Ash. "Did you hear that, Ash?" she asked. "I'm coming with you!" she declared._

"_Alright!" Ash cheered with a dramatic fist pump. Yes, he was beyond ecstatic. He could go home and avoid trouble, and Misty could come with him. He couldn't have planned it better!_

"_Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed as he came standing in front of Ash, holding three pokeballs in his arms. "Pika Pika." He exclaimed as he held them out to his master._

_Ash smiled at Pikachu's actions. "Thanks, buddy." He thanked the yellow mouse as he took the three pokeballs from him. "Bayleef," he said as he clipped the first pokeball onto his belt. "Kingler," he said as he clipped the next one on. "Totodile," he said as he clipped the last one on. "And, Pikachu." He finally finished as the yellow mouse jumped onto his shoulder. "Alright," he said as he turned to Misty. "Let's hit the road!" he announced with another excited fist pump…_

**[…]**

Misty squealed on the inside. She was on the road again. On an adventure (There was always adventure when Ash was close by.). She wasn't stuck at the Gym. She was free and could only work on her dream. Nothing could spoil her mood…

"Misty…WALK FASTER!" Ash boomed over his shoulder at Misty.

Except that…

Misty clenched her fists in complete irritation, her teeth grinding and her face starting to redden.

"Uh, Misty?" Ash started. He had stopped and turned around to face Misty. "Are you okay?" he inquired. "Do you have a fever? You look kind of re-"

"ASH KETCHUM!" Misty exploded, which caused Ash to cower in fear. "If you yell at me one more time!" she warned. "And if you tell me to walk faster ONE more time!" she added, her voice rising in volume after each warning.

"But Misty," Ash started his protest.

"NO BUTS!" Misty yelled. "You will slow down, and walk at MY pace. Are we clear?" she inquired, glaring at Ash with her arms crossed.

"Bu-"

"ARE WE CLEAR, ASH?" Misty yelled at Ash, her teeth sharp and pointy out of irritation.

"Fine…" Ash mumbled in defeat as he turned back to the front and waited for Misty.

"That's better…" Misty remarked before she started walking again. She finally caught up to Ash, who now walked next to the red-head, and the two of them continued walking side-by-side down the road.

Ash was not very happy about this new speed at which he and Misty were traveling. They weren't even in Viridian City yet! And they had been traveling for almost 12 days now! Misty was walking way too slow for his liking. She was wasting time. Didn't she understand that the letter from the Pokemon League said that they had to return to Pallet Town immediately? And to top that off; he was starting to get hungry…

"Misty…?" Ash carefully asked. He didn't want an angry Misty to deal with right now.

"Yes Ash?" Misty calmly replied. She was in a much better mood now that Ash had finally slowed down to her pace.

"Do you think that we could stop and rest for a while…?" Ash uncertainly asked.

Misty turned her head to Ash and gave him a suspicious look. "Rest?" she repeated. "You complain to me just a few moments ago that I was walking too slowly and now you want to rest?" she quizzed the pokemon Trainer.

"Yeah, well," Ash started as he glared slightly at Misty. "Since you walked so slowly the most of the day so far; we won't get to Pallet Town today." He retorted. "And besides, I'm kind of hungry…" he softly added.

Misty glared at Ash, before she sighed when she realised that he was right. She then sighed. "Fine, we can take a break, then…" she gave in.

"Yes! Food!" Ash silently cheered to himself and Pikachu.

The three of them kept walking for a while until they found a nice, big tree that was surrounding by a small green field: A perfect place for lunch, as Ash described it. They sat down under the shade of the tree.

"So," Ash started. "What's for lunch?" he anxiously asked as he looked at Misty with big, excited eyes.

Misty sighed at Ash's sudden one-track mind. "The same as yesterday, Ash…" she informed him.

"Awh man…" Ash groaned. "Sandwiches again?" he asked Misty in disbelief.

"Yes Ash," Misty monophonically answered. "Sandwiches again." she repeated.

"Isn't there something else?" Ash hopefully asked. "We've had sandwiches every day since we left the Pokemon Center five days ago!" he informed the red-head.

"Well, sorry for trying, Ash!" Misty irritatedly yelled at Ash. "But, we don't really have many choices, since we can't really cook…" she informed the pokemon Trainer.

"Man, how I miss Brock right now." Ash remarked. "He could at least cook, and walk faster…" he said more to himself than to anyone else.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Misty angrily yelled into Ash's face.

"Nothing, nothing!" Ash quickly covered his tracks.

"Hmph." Misty exclaimed as she opened up her bag and pulled out a napkin-wrapped pile of sandwiches. She untied the napkin and placed in front of Ash. "Help yourself." She said as she took a sandwich from the top of the pile and slowly started nibbling on it.

"Just a sec." Ash answered as he got up onto his feet. "Come on out, everybody!" he yelled as he threw three pokeballs into the air.

Three figures appeared out of the giant flash of light which protruded out of the three pokeballs, revealing Bayleef, Totodile and Kingler.

Ash then started rummaging through his backpack. "Lunch time!" he called out as he put four bowls of food in front of his pokemon, with Pikachu now also included.

The four pokemon all cheered before digging into their lunch, which was canned pokemon food.

Misty smiled sincerely at Ash's actions. To be honest; it kind of made her feel bad…She only had Corsola with her, but she didn't think of bringing pokemon food along for it. So, she had to keep it in its pokeball. "Hey Ash…" she softly called out.

"Huh?" Ash exclaimed as he turned around to face Misty. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Uhm…" Misty exclaimed as she fiddled her fingers together. "You wouldn't happen to have some extra pokemon food, would you…?" she uncertainly asked as she looked down at the ground. "You see, I forgot to bring any food along for Corsola…" she shyly said.

"Of course, Misty." Ash said as he smiled at Misty. "It's fine. Corsola can have some of my pokemon food, no prob!" he assured the red-head.

Misty smiled at Ash. "Thanks, Ash…" she softly thanked the pokemon Trainer as she stood up. "Corsola: Come on out!" she yelled as she threw a pokeball into the air.

Corsola emerged out of the white light. "Corsola!" it greeted Misty.

"Corsola, you can go eat with Pikachu and the others." Misty said.

"Corsola Cors!" Corsola happily exclaimed as it walked off towards the other pokemon, where Ash had already put down another bowl full of pokemon food for the Coral pokemon. It happily greeted Bayleef, Totodile, Kingler and Pikachu before digging in.

Ash made his way back over to Misty and sat down against the tree. "Man, I'm hungry!" he declared as he took two sandwiches from the pile.

Misty sat down next to Ash against the tree and started nibbling on her sandwich again. She took a quick glance at Ash, who was devouring his second sandwich by now. _'Hmmm…'_ Misty thought in her head as she intently watched Ash eat. She then decided to try something. She slowly wiggled herself closer to Ash and finally sat with the right side of her body against the left side of Ash's body.

Yes, this is what Misty called 'experimenting' relationship stuff, but Ash wasn't on the ball with it that much…

"Uh, Misty…" Ash slowly said.

"Yeah?" Misty innocently asked as she tilted her head towards Ash.

"Uhm, what're you doing?" Ash asked as he lifted his brow at Misty.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked as she took another bite of her sandwich.

"Why are you sitting so close to me?" Ash asked while frowning at Misty. "You're kind of making me feel cramped…" he added.

Misty slapped her palm against her forehead. _'Typical Ash…'_ she thought before she sighed in slight annoyance. "Ash," she calmly started. "Remember when we talked about giving this relationship stuff a try?" she asked.

"Uhm, yeah?" Ash nodded as he frowned at Misty, remembering the occurrence.

"Well," Misty sang. "This is one of those 'stuff'." She informed Ash as she playfully grinded her arm against Ash's shoulder.

"Oh…" Ash exclaimed as he watched Misty's playful actions. "Okay," he shrugged. "I guess it's fine, then." He finally agreed before he took a huge bite out of his fourth sandwich.

Misty sighed at Ash. _'Great. The perfect moment and Ash is clueless about it…'_ she thought as she irritatedly took a huge bite out of her sandwich. She then turned her body so that she was leaning a bit on Ash and looked up at the sky in thought.

Ash, being Ash; merely kept stuffing sandwich after sandwich into his mouth, but he also unconsciously leaned towards Misty, actually subconsciously enjoying the sensation of touching the red-head.

The group's small lunch went by without much action. The pokemon all happily ate their bowls of pokemon food, while Ash and Misty ate their sandwiches while sitting against each other. They finished lunch a while later, recalled all the pokemon (Save for Pikachu.), and hit the road again. They got to Viridian City a while after that. Misty had decided to stop there for a while to pick up some supplies for the last phase of their journey to Pallet Town. They were currently somewhere between Viridian City and Pallet Town, with the sun slowly-but-surely starting to set over Mt. Silver.

"You know, Ash; we should probably stop and set up camp." Misty suggested as she looked at the darkening skies above them. "It's getting kind of late." She added.

"But Misty!" Ash started a protest once more. "We've got to make as much ground as possible!" he complained. "The letter said to get to Pallet Town as soon as pos-"

"I KNOW WHAT THE LETTER SAID!" Misty yelled back at him. "I read it too, you know." She added. "But we can't travel in the dark! We need our rest and it's too dangerous anyway!" she informed Ash.

Ash sighed. "Yeah, you're right." He gave in. "Let's set up camp before it gets too dark." He suggested as he stopped and pulled his backpack off of his back.

Misty followed Ash's lead and Ash collected some fire wood in the area. Misty, being the clover girl she is; had bought some instant noodles and soup in a can which she intended making them for dinner in a small pot she also bought for the cause. So, noodle soup was on the cards for dinner, and it was pretty delicious for Ash. He didn't if it was because of the fact that he was hungry, or the fact that it was pretty easy to make, so Misty couldn't mess it up, or because of the fact that she made it in the first place. He had become pretty appreciative of the red-head over the past couple of days. She took over the cooking duties from Brock, even though it wasn't even a completion for the pokemon Breeder's delicious delicacies; it was adequate for him, mainly because she tried. They got into their respective sleeping bags a while later, with Pikachu sleeping next to his master's head.

"Goodnight, Misty! Goodnight, Pikachu!" Ash said while looking at the stars above them.

"Pika Pika, Pikachupi. Pika Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu said goodnight to the two humans before curling into a ball next to Ash's head before falling asleep.

"Goodnight, Pikachu." Misty responded as she watched the two occupants of the sleeping bag next to hers. "Goodnight…Ash." She said with a sincere smile on her face as she looked at Ash, before she too succumbed to sleep.

Ash, on the other hand, stared the beautiful sky above them for a little while longer with his head resting on his hands behind him. He then turned his attention to his right-hand side, where Misty's sleeping bag was situated. He bit his lip as he stared at the red-head. And then he decided to do something, something that he hadn't ever tried and probably wouldn't have dared trying if Misty was awake now.

Misty was now peacefully sleeping on her side, facing Ash's sleeping bag. Their sleeping bag was a lot closer to each other than it normally would have been, mainly because of Misty's 'weird experiments of love', as Ash called it.

Ash slowly got onto his side, making sure not to bother Pikachu. He then took a deep breath, and held it, as he slowly reached out towards Misty. He stopped when his hand hovered over the red-head's. He then slowly lowered his hand and rested it on the top of Misty's. He slowly let out the breath he was holding in, and then sighed in relief. _'That wasn't so bad…' _he thought, until Misty started stirring...

Misty subconsciously moved closer to the warmth that was Ash's hand. She slowly wrapped her two arms around Ash's forearm and gave a content sigh as she snuggled against it, a content smile on her face.

Ash, however; was panicking inside. He did not see this coming, but now his arm was being clenched by Misty and he would surely wake her up if he moved. His heart was pounding in his throat and his cheeks were red in embarrassment. He noticed after a while however. That it wasn't so bad, and that he kind of liked this physical with the red-head. He slowly started calming down and smiled at Misty after a while, before they fell asleep in that position…

**So, Ash and Misty are on their way to Pallet Town, eh?**

**What did you guys think of Daisy's actions? I know it's a bit non-canon, but yeah, this is a fan fiction!**

**What do you guys think the reason is for the Pokemon League requesting Ash to return to Pallet Town? Tell me in your reviews!**

**Until next chapter.**

**Cheers!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Here's the next chapter!**

**I'm sorry that this took a little longer to publish. I really had trouble writing this chapter (Don't know why!), but here it is.**

**Thanks everyone for the reviews. We're now past the 100 mark in reviews!**

**Anyway, I'm sorry to say it, but this is a bit of filler. I think the next chapter will probably be mostly filler as well, seeing as I'm busy planning out the next arc of this story!**

**Lol, so you guys don't really know what's up with Ash returning to Pallet Town? Look, it's not something I created on my own. It can probably happen in the anime, but I highly doubt it. So, give it some thought and tell me what you guys think the reason is?**

**Anyway, I'm in search of a beta-reader. So, if you guys have any suggestions regarding one, please tell me their names so I can contact them. Because I noticed that I miss a few errors in the chapters, so a beta-reader would only improve this story.**

**We're also approaching the 100 000-word mark! Woohoo! That's awesome. It's a lot longer than I first expected this story to be. And it's not even finished yet! The best is still to come.**

**Anyway, here's Chapter 20.**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 20: The road often followed to the opposite side. The place of beginning:**

The sun shone brightly in the sky the next morning. Ash, Misty and Pikachu had slept in because of all the traveling the past couple of days. So it was almost 10 o' clock in the morning by now. The Pidgey chirped as they soared through the sky and sat in the trees surrounding the gang. It was in this time that Misty started stirring in her sleeping bag…

"Hmm…" she mumbled out, her face buried in her bag so it sounded very muffled. "Uh…" she exclaimed as she looked up, only to be met by the unforgiving rays of the sun. She quickly buried her face in her bag again. "Stupid sun…" she mumbled before slowly lifted her head up again, but this time she made sure to avoid the sun's rays. She gave a huge yawn before her eyes finally focused. It was at this moment that she noticed something on her hand. "Hm?" she exclaimed as she looked down, to find a hand situated on top of hers. Following the hand up; she found the source… _'Ash!'_ she thought as her mouth hung open.

Ash was still fast asleep, with his hand still on Misty's hand. The red-head probably turned in her sleep through the night, so she probably let go of his hand, although he still kept it there, as he didn't really move much in his sleep.

Misty gaped at Ash for a moment, before she averted her gaze back to his hand on hers. Her cheeks started turning a bright red colour. _'Oh, wow. Who would have thought that Ash is capable of something like this on his own?'_ She thought as she felt a tingling pull in her stomach. This is exactly what she wanted: To try some romantic factors with Ash. She carefully turned her hand under his, until the inside of her hand met the inside of Ash's. She then slowly spread her fingers and entwined them with Ash's fingers, lacing their hands together. She then looked up from their hands to Ash's sleeping face before she softly giggled.

Misty's giggles went unheard by Ash, but not by a certain yellow mouse…

"Pi?" Pikachu groggily exclaimed as he lifted his head. He sat up and rubbed his paws over his eyes. He then heard that sift giggling noises again. He then curiously peaked over Ash's sleeping form next to him. He noticed his master's arm extending out in front of him. Following Ash's arm: the yellow mouse found two hands laced together. "Pika?" he questioned as he frowned at the two hands. He then looked a bit upper and looked straight into Misty's face. "Pika…" he exclaimed, finally understanding what was going on. He then jumped over to the other side of Ash, revealing himself to the red-head.

Misty stopped giggling almost immediately after she saw Pikachu now standing in front of her. Her mouth was tightly shut and her cheeks even redder than before. Busted…

"Pika Pika, Pikachupi." Pikachu whispered as he knowingly smirked at Misty. He then proceeded to make kissy faces along with hugging actions at the red-head before he started snickering at himself and Misty's awkward situation.

Misty just kept staring at Pikachu with her eyes big in surprise. It took a while, but after a few moments; Misty's surprised look turned into her glare and rage started oozing out of her as her teeth became sharp because of irritation. "Be quiet!" she hissed as she swung her free arm in the yellow mouse's direction.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as Misty's arm connected with his head, sending him flying through the air until he connected with a tree. He slid down and fell on the grass. "Pika Pika…" he mumbled as he lay on the ground, his eyes replaced with swirly spirals.

"Hmph." Misty huffed at Pikachu before she felt Ash's fingers move and his grip on her hand tighten slightly. She turned her attention towards Ash, who had started stirring in his sleeping bag. For some reason; the red-head didn't want to face Ash now, because it might cause him to let go of her hand. She figured that he took her hand while she was sleeping, so he might keep his hand there if he thought that she was still asleep. So, she calmed her breathing, closed her eyes and let her grip on Ash's hand slightly falter, creating the impression that she was still soundly asleep.

Ash slowly opened his eyes after hearing Pikachu's 'meeting' with the tree. "Huh…" he mumbled as he lifted his head off of his backpack. "What's with all the noise…" he mumbled as he looked around him. He then tried rubbing his eyes with his hand, but he found it difficult to get it to his eyes. "Huh?" he exclaimed before he saw his hand and its fingers entwined with another hand…Misty's hand! "Yikes!" Ash yelled, before he remembered that Misty was still asleep, and quickly covered his mouth with his free hand. He carefully looked over to Misty and sighed out of relief when he saw that the red-head was still asleep. He then got over his relief when he realised that he was HOLDING MISTY'S HAND! His cheeks started turning bright red as he stared at their linked hands. _'Why am I holding Misty's hand? Am I dreaming?'_ he thought before he remembered that he put his hand there the previous night. He stared at their hands for a little while longer, before he quickly pulled his hand away from the red-head's, scared of being caught.

Ash's sudden action caused Misty to open her left and peek at the pokemon Trainer, who now sat up in his sleeping bag, a giant blush evident on his face. The red-head softly sighed at herself. _'Great, that's probably the end of that…'_ she thought as she 'woke up' by slowly stretching and opening her eyes fully. She then proceeded to sit up in her sleeping bag and stretch her arms over her head, before turning her attention to Ash. "Good morning, Ash." She said before she gave the pokemon Trainer a sweet, loving smile, which, in all honesty; freaked Ash out even more…

"Uh…uh…g-good morning! Misty…" Ash stuttered out, the blush on his face only intensifying when he saw Misty giving him a cute, loving smile. He then proceeded to nervously laugh and scratch the back of his head, silently praying that the red-head didn't know about their all-night hand-holding.

Misty kept looking at Ash. This was the perfect opportunity to tease the pokemon Trainer...But Misty didn't feel like that. It felt…wrong? So she instead decided to spare him the awkwardness. "Are you hungry?" she politely asked, to which Ash responded by merely nodding while he looked down at his sleeping bag. "Okay, I'll make us some breakfast. Are sandwiches alright?" she politely suggested. She was enjoying this…

"Y-yeah, sandwiches are fine!" Ash said a bit too enthusiastically as he nervously scratched the back of his head sheepishly laughing at Misty.

"Okay, then you can start packing up our stuff?" Misty suggested as she got out of her sleeping bag and started putting her shoes on.

"Yeah sure…" Ash said as he also started putting his shoes on. "No prob." He added before he got up and started rolling his sleeping bag up.

Misty also got up onto her feet, took her bag and walked over to a nearby log. She happened to pass by Pikachu, to which she responded by pointing to her eyes with two of her fingers and then pointing those two fingers towards the yellow mouse, signalling that she's watching him. She then sat on her knees in front of the log and started unpacking the various ingredients she would need for their sandwiches. 'I could get used to this 'new' Ash…' she thought as she made their breakfast. _'He's very…obedient?'_ she mentally asked herself, looking for the right word to describe Ash's new attitude. _'I think I should show my affection a bit more often…'_ she suggested to herself as she stole a glance at the pokemon Trainer, who was currently busy rolling up the red-head's sleeping bag, a faint blush still evident on his cheeks. She sighed at Ash before standing up and rummaged through his backpack. She then took out a bowl and filled it up with some pokemon food for Pikachu. "Breakfast is ready, you guys!" she declared as she put the bowl of pokemon food next to the log in the ground.

It took a mere four seconds before Ash and Pikachu were at the log with an excited, impatient look in both their eyes.

"Oh boy," Ash exclaimed as he hovered over the pile of sandwiches packed on a napkin on the log. "I'm starving!" he announced before he grabbed four slices off of the pile.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed as he sat in front of his bowl of pokemon food, before he dug into it.

Ash also didn't waste time and was now approaching his third slice, shoving sandwich after sandwich into his mouth.

"Ash," Misty started as she frowned at Ash, to which he responded to by looking up at the red-head. "Did you finish packing our stuff up?" she asked as she lifted her brow at the pokemon Trainer.

Ash simply stared at Misty for a few moments. "Uh…fno? Eweviting if ftill fer." He exclaimed with his mouth stuffed full of food as he pointed to where their sleeping bags lay on the ground, rolled up but not yet packed in.

Misty gave Ash a slight glare. "Okay, first off; don't ever talk to me with your mouth full again! It's very rude!" she yelled at the pokemon Trainer. "And secondly…" she started again as she picked the napkin and the few sandwiches left off of the log and out of Ash's reach. "You're not getting any more sandwiches until you've finished packing away all of our stuff." She declared.

Ash opened his mouth to protest, but then remembered what Misty said, and he swallowed the sandwich that was in his mouth before he tried again. "But Misty!" he exclaimed.

"No buts, Ash." Misty calmly stated. "You can't just abandon your tasks when you spot some food." She informed Ash as she picked up a sandwich.

Ash sighed at Misty's words. "Fine…" he mumbled in defeat before he stood up and made his way over to the sleeping bags.

"Pika Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu lectured Ash as he took another pellet out of his bowl and started nibbling on it.

"Yeah, tell him, Pikachu." Misty giggled at Pikachu's wise words.

"Haha, very funny." Ash sarcastically mumbled as he rolled his eyes at Pikachu. He then started tugging Misty's sleeping bag into her bag, followed by his own sleeping bag which he tugged into his backpack. "There, happy?" he asked as he glared at Misty, who, along with Pikachu, had continued eating while they watched Ash doing his chore.

"Yep." Misty said as she nodded her head and put the pile of sandwiches back on the log for Ash to eat.

"Alright!" Ash cheered as he came running back towards the log. He didn't waste any time in digging into the remaining sandwiches.

Misty had her share of sandwiches and Pikachu had finished his bowl of pokemon food, so the rest was free for Ash to devour. Once the pokemon Trainer polished off the sandwiches; the gang took to the road once more, on their way to Pallet Town. Since they woke up pretty late in the day; they weren't even close to Pallet Town by 13:30 in the afternoon, so pretty soon…

"Misty, I'm getting hungry!" Ash moaned from next to Misty. "Can't we stop for lunch?" he hopefully suggested to the red-head.

"We had breakfast four hours ago!" Misty stated as she looked at Ash in disbelief. "How can you already be hungry?" she inquired.

"Because," Ash started. "We didn't have a big breakfast, and it's a long walk." He said. "So I need all the food I can get." He added as he rubbed over his stomach.

"Ugh…" Misty groaned as she shook her head in aggravation. "Fine, let's stop for lunch, then." She declared. "I'm getting kind of hungry too." She added.

"Alright!" Ash cheered with an excited fist-pump.

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed, mimicking Ash's actions by doing an excited paw-pump.

Misty merely sighed at Ash and Pikachu's poses as the gang continued forward. They walked a little bit farther down the road until they came across a small meadow, a perfect place to have lunch.

"Come out: Everyone!" Ash yelled as he threw three pokeballs into the air, which resulted in a bright light coming from the balls.

"Bay!" Bayleef exclaimed as she formed out of the light.

"Cookie Cookie!" Kingler exclaimed as it formed next to Bayleef out of the light.

"Toto- Dile!" Totodile exclaimed while dancing in the air as it formed on the other side of Bayleef out of the light.

"Corsola: Come on out!" Misty yelled as she threw her sole pokeball into the air.

"Corsola!" Corsola exclaimed as she formed next to Kingler out of the white light that protruded out of her pokeball.

"Lunch time, everyone!" Ash announced as he placed five bowls of pokemon food next to each other on the grass.

The five different pokemon all cheered their approval before they started eating their food. Ash and Misty sat close by and ate their lunch, which consisted out of sandwiches again. Misty wasn't a good cook, so they had to accept the fact that they ate would eat sandwiches on the road while they travelled.

"You know," Ash started as he picked up another sandwich. "It's actually a shame that we have to travel on a day like this." He remarked.

"Yeah," Misty agreed as she looked around her and Ash. "It really is a beautiful day today." She added.

"But we have to get to Pallet Town!" Ash declared with a determined fist-pump. "The letter sai-"

"Yes, Ash. I know what the letter said." Misty interrupted Ash, irritated that he kept on repeating that sentence, over and over again.

Lunch went by pretty quickly and before they knew it; Ash and Misty had returned their pokemon (Save for Pikachu, of course), packed up their belongings and hit the road again, on their way towards Pallet Town once more. The rest of their trip went by without any real action, until a red-gloved mechanical hand came flying towards them from out of the bushes to their left!

"What the heck!" Ash cried out as the hand came flinging towards them.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as the hand took hold of him and plucked him off of Ash's shoulder, pulling him through the bushes.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out and immediately darted off after Pikachu into the bushes.

"Ash! Pikachu!" Misty yelled as she ran after Ash...

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he was dragged through the bushes by the mechanical hand. Where it was taking him; he wasn't sure. But he had a good idea. He was pulled for a few moments more, before the yellow mouse connected with unforgiving steel, the steel railings of a cage, which locked him inside from all four sides.

"Hello, Pikachu." Pikachu heard a male voice say from behind him.

"Pikachu!" he heard a more familiar voice coming from the bushes in front of him. The voice of his master; Ash.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out at Ash.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he jumped through the bushes and landed in front of the cage Pikachu was trapped in. "What the…" he exclaimed when he noticed that the yellow mouse was trapped in a cage. "What's going on here!?" he demanded.

"Prepare for trouble, out here in the wood." A female voice stated from behind the cage.

"Make it double, like you know you should." A male voice said from next to the female.

"To protect the world from devastation." The female continued.

"To unite all peoples within our nation." The male added.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love." The female stated as she jumped to in front of the cage.

"To extend our reach to the stars above." The male added as he also jumped in front of the cage and landed next to the female.

"Jessie." Jessie stated.

"James." James added.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie continued.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight fight fight!" James added.

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth exclaimed as he appeared between Jessie and James, holding Pikachu above his head in the cage.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet exclaimed as it appeared in front of Jessie, James and Meowth.

"Get back in your ball!" Jessie yelled as she pointed a pokeball to Wobbuffet, retracting it back into its pokeball.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out at Ash.

"Team Rocket!" Ash angrily exclaimed. "I should have known that the three of you were behind this!" he added as he clenched his fists in front of him in anger.

"You thought right, twerp." Jessie answered.

"It's always us!" James added.

"Yea, so get used to it!" Meowth added.

"Give me back Pikachu, now!" Ash ordered as he angrily glared at the three Rocket members.

"Twerp, why do we have to go through all of this each and every time?" Jessie sarcastically asked. "You know you're not getting your Pikachu back without having a battle for him!" she declared.

"And even after that; you will still not get your Pikachu back because we plan on winning!" James added as he took a pokeball off of his belt. "Weezing: I choose you!" he yelled before he threw the pokeball into the air.

"Arbok: Let's go!" Jessie yelled as she also threw a pokeball into the air.

"Weezing!" Weezing exclaimed as he appeared in front of James out of the pokeball.

"Char Bok!" Arbok exclaimed as it appeared in front of Jessie.

"If it's a battle you want; it's a battle you'll get!" Ash stated as he pulled a pokeball from his belt. "Bayleef: I choose you!" he yelled as he threw a pokeball into the air.

The pokeball opened and a white light protruded from it, out which Bayleef appeared.

"Bay!" Bayleef exclaimed as she stood in front of Ash, awaiting her orders.

"Bayleef: Hit 'em with a Razor Leaf!" Ash ordered as he pointed towards Weezing and Arbok.

"Bay Bay!" Bayleef exclaimed, acknowledging the order, as she swung her head and fired a stream of razor sharp leaves towards Arbok and Weezing.

Arbok was directly hit by the Razor Leaf attack, but Weezing simply hovered higher into the air, avoiding the attack completely.

"Nice work, Weezing!" James commented. "Now use Sludge!" he ordered.

"Weezing Wee!" Weezing exclaimed, acknowledging James's order, and fired a ball of poisonous sludge towards Bayleef.

"Oh no. Bayleef; watch out!" Ash hastily shouted at Bayleef.

"Bay?" Bayleef exclaimed as she turned and saw the oncoming attack, but it was too late. She wasn't going to get out of its way in time.

"No!" Ash shouted in despair.

"Corsola: Use Mirror Coat!" he heard a voice say from behind him.

"Corsola!" A Corsola exclaimed as it jumped in front of Bayleef and then started glowing a yellow colour.

The Sludge attack connected head-on with the Corsola, but since Mirror Coat was active; it bounced straight off of the Corral pokemon's body and shot straight back towards Weezing.

"Weezing, watch out!" James squealed as he looked on.

"Weezing!" Weezing exclaimed as the Sludge attack connected with him. Since Mirror Coat was in effect; the attack inflicted twice as much damage to Weezing and sent him crashing down into the ground in front of James.

"Weezing!" James cried out as the dust settled to reveal Weezing laying in a crater in front of him. "Are you okay, Weezing? Speak to me!" he frantically exclaimed.

"Weezing Wee!" Weezing exclaimed as he got up and floated in the air once more.

"Hey Ash," Ash heard a voice coming from behind him. He turned around and spotted Misty running towards him.

"Misty!" he excitedly exclaimed as she stopped next to him. Boy; was he glad to see the red-head right now.

"Are you guys okay?" Misty asked as she looked at Ash in worry.

"Yeah, we're fine." Ash answered. "But what took you so long!?" he then asked as he angrily glared at Misty.

Misty's worried expression almost immediately turned into one of aggravation. "Well, sorry for not being able to climb through the bushes like an obsessed Mankey, like you!" she irritatedly yelled at Ash. "It took me almost forever to scamper through all those plants!" she added. "And then I actually got here just in time to save YOUR butt!" she yelled.

"Yeah yeah." Ash waved Misty off, knowing that she had a point. "Let's just take care of these three clowns." He said as he pointed towards Team Rocket.

"Clowns?" Jessie repeated. "I'll show you who the clowns are!" she angrily stated. "Arbok!" she yelled.

"Char!" Arbok exclaimed as it appeared in front of Jessie.

"You too, Weezing!" James added.

"Weezing!" Weezing exclaimed as he appeared in front of James.

"Bayleef!" Ash called out to Bayleef. "Are you alright?" he worriedly asked.

"Bay Bay!" Bayleef nodded in approval as she looked over her shoulder at Ash.

"Okay, then let's get Pikachu back!" Ash announced. "Use Razor Leaf again, Bayleef!" he ordered.

"Bay!" Bayleef exclaimed as she swung her head again and fired a stream of razor sharp leaves towards Arbok and Weezing.

"Arbok: Use Dig to evade that!" Jessie ordered.

"Dodge it, Weezing!" James ordered.

"Char!" Arbok exclaimed as it burrowed its way underground, head first.

"Wee!" Weezing exclaimed as he hovered higher into the air.

The Razor Leaf attack collided with nothing except the ground, resulting in a small explosion.

"Now, Corsola: Use Bubblebeam on that hole!" Misty ordered as she pointed to the hole that was now situated where Arbok was previously 'standing'.

"Corsola Corsola!" Corsola exclaimed before she unleashed a jet stream of powerful bubbles down into the hole.

There was a moment of silence, before a loud rumbling noise could be heard under the ground. The noise was then followed by a massive explosion and a huge gaping hole suddenly appeared as Arbok shot up through the ground high into the air.

"Arbok!" Jessie called out in worry.

"Great job, Corsola!" Misty praised Corsola. "Now, use Spike Cannon on Weezing!" she ordered as she pointed to Weezing that was floating in mid-air.

"Corsola Cors!" Corsola exclaimed as she started glowing white. She then fired a stream of white needles towards Weezing.

Meanwhile, Arbok was finally falling back down to earth again, something that Ash decided he would not go unnoticed…

"Bayleef: I want you to hit Arbok out of the air with your Vine Whip!" Ash ordered as he pointed towards the falling Arbok.

"Bay Bay!" Bayleef exclaimed as she shot two vines out of her neck towards Arbok.

The Vine Whip attack connected with Arbok just as it was about to hit the ground, and sent the Cobra pokemon flying through the air and it eventually crashed into Meowth, Jessie and James. Weezing was also taken out of the air by Corsola's Spike Cannon and he too crashed into his fellow Team Rocket members. The collision from Arbok caused Meowth to lose his grip on the cage in which Pikachu was being kept in and the cage landed in front of Ash's feet, the lock broken and the door open.

"Uh…" Jessie exclaimed as she back up onto her feet.

"My aching back…" James stated as he too got back up onto his feet.

"My poor achin' Meowth!" Meowth added as he held onto his mouth.

"Meowth; where's Pikachu?" Jessie asked as she frowned at Meowth. "Weren't you holding his cage?" she added.

"What're ya tawking 'bout!?" Meowth angrily exclaimed. "Pikachu's cage is rite he-"he stopped mid-sentence after he turned and pointed to where he thought the cage stood.

"Well?" Jessie impatiently asked as she looked at Meowth with her arms crossed in annoyance.

"Where is Pikachu?" James angrily asked as he glared at Meowth.

"AHEM." The Team Rocket trio heard someone clearing their throat.

"Huh?" the three of them simultaneously exclaimed as they turned their attention towards the source of the throat-clearing: Ash.

"He's right here." Ash stated as the three Rocket members looked at him. He then pointed down in front of him.

Team Rocket looked to where Ash was pointing and looked straight at…Pikachu!

"Pika Pika…" Pikachu exclaimed with a knowing smirk as sparks started emitting from his cheeks.

"Uh – Oh…" Jessie exclaimed as she visibly gulped.

"This cannot end well…" James added.

"I tink ya've hit da hammer rite on da nail there, Jimbo." Meowth also added.

"Wobbuffet." Wobbuffet exclaimed after it popped out of its pokeball on its own.

"Pikachu: Hit 'em with a Thunderbolt, full power!" Ash ordered as he pointed towards Team Rocket and their pokemon.

"Pi – Ka…" Pikachu started as the sparks emitting from his cheeks grew in intensity. "CHUUUU!" he finished as he unleashed an unforgiving and powerful Thunderbolt attack on Team Rocket.

The Thunderbolt collided with Team Rocket and they were all sizzled before a huge explosion occurred and sent them flying through the air.

"Oh great," Jessie stated as Team Rocket flew through the air. "Another Rocket round up." She declared.

"More like a Rocket bust up!" Meowth added.

"Either way:" James started.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Jessie, James and Meowth simultaneously exclaimed.

"Wobbu Wobbu!" Wobbuffet added as Team Rocket disappeared into the stratosphere accompanied by a 'PING'.

"Ash, Misty and their pokemon watched on as Team Rocket disappeared.

"Well," Ash started. "That takes care of that." He stated as he dusted his hands off against each other.

"Yep…" Misty casually agreed as she turned to face Ash.

"All in a day's work for a future Pokemon Master." Ash smugly added as he held his head high in the air to emphasize his superiority.

"Oh please, Ash." Misty deflated Ash's ego. "Face it: If it wasn't for me; you would have been long gone." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Is not!" Ash started his argument as he glared at Misty.

"Is too!" Misty retorted and, before an argument could ensue; turned away from Ash. "Now come on;" she started again as she recalled Corsola back into her pokeball and thanking the Corral pokemon for her help. "We've gotta get back on the road if we want to reach Pallet Town before nightfall." She announced.

"Yeah, you're right." Ash sighed in agreement. "Thanks for your help too, Bayleef. Return." He said as he pointed a pokeball to Bayleef and retracted her back into it before he clipped the pokeball back onto his belt. "Come on, Pikachu; let's go." He said as he looked down at Pikachu.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped onto Ash's shoulder and the two of them walked after Misty.

The three of them found the dirt road pretty quickly and were once again on their way back to Pallet Town after that. The battle with Team Rocket had taken a lot of energy out of them, so the rest of the trip was fairly quiet, with the sun now starting to set over the mountains in the distance. They eventually got at the top of a hill, a hill which looked over Pallet Town.

"We're here!" Ash proclaimed as he looked over his hometown of Pallet with great excitement and happiness. He was finally home again.

"It's been a while since we've been here, eh, Ash?" Misty stated as she smiled at the view in front of them.

"It sure has." Ash answered. "Come on;" he said as he started walking down the hill. "Let's go home!" he declared, after which Misty walked after him and caught up.

They entered Pallet Town from the side opposite of where Ash's house was situated, so they walked through almost the entire town.

"Wow," Ash stated as he looked around him. "This place hasn't changed one bit." He remarked as they walked through the empty-ish streets.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu walked the rest of the way through Pallet Town in relative silence. They were pretty worn out after a long day's traveling and battling. So all three of them were looking forward to a nice, peaceful evening at the Ketchum residence, in front of which they were standing now.

"Home…" Ash silently stated as he opened the small white fence-gate before stepping into his front yard, with Misty silently following him up to the front door. He then slowly opened the front door and stepped inside, at which point Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and landed on the soft carpet that decorated the entire floor.

"Pika." Pikachu exclaimed as he stretched out his travel-worn limbs.

Ash stepped a bit more into the house and right before he walked onto the carpet; he remembered a lesson his mother taught since he was little: He removed his shoes and placed them neatly next to the front door.

Misty took note of Ash's actions and, figuring that this was a house rule, obediently followed his lead and placed her shoes next to his.

"Mom!" Ash yelled as his voice echoed through the house. "Mom, I'm home!" he repeated.

There was a slight ruffling noise and moments later Ash and Misty heard a door open and close abruptly.

"Ash, is that you?" they heard a voice call out from the kitchen.

A Mr. Mime appeared out of the doorway from the kitchen, wearing a dark green coloured apron. "Mime?" it exclaimed as it looked at Ash, Misty and Pikachu.

"Hey there, Mimey!" Ash greeted Mimey, his mother's Mr. Mime, with a friendly wave of his hand.

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey exclaimed as it happily waved at the three of them.

"Who are you talking to, Mimey?" Delia asked as she appeared in the doorway. She then looked up and noticed Ash, Misty and Pikachu standing in her front door.

"Hi, Mom!" Ash greeted his mother with a wave of his hand and a grin on his face.

Delia merely looked at the children in front of her for a few moments, before…

"Oh Ash! My baby!" she exploded as she ran straight towards Ash. She then threw her arms out at him and engulfed the poor pokemon Trainer in a spine-crushing hug. "Oh, I've missed you so much!" she proclaimed as her grip around Ash only tightened.

"M-Mom…c-cant…b-breathe…" Ash struggled to exclaim under his mother's superhuman grip, starting to turn blue in the face from the lack of sufficient oxygen.

"Oh, I'm sorry, hunny." Delia apologized as she released Ash from her death-grip. "I'm just so happy to see you!" she added.

"It's…fine…Mom…" Ash assured her in between his huge gasps of air.

"Hi, Mrs. Ketchum!" Misty interrupted as she stepped forward.

"Oh, hello, Misty!" Delia said as she turned to Misty. "It's good to see you again, dear." She added as she folded her arms around the red-head, giving her a hug.

Misty looked over Delia's shoulder at Ash, who was now snickering at the red-head's situation. She glared at the pokemon Trainer before she awkwardly wrapped her arms around Delia. "It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Ketchum…" she said before pulling away from the older female.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed form the ground as he waved up at Delia.

"Pikachu!" Delia squealed as she picked the yellow mouse off of the ground and enveloped him in a tight hug, similar to Ash's predicament.

"Pi…ka…" Pikachu uncomfortably exclaimed as he tried to break Delia's grip, but to no avail.

"The three of you must be starving!" Delia said after she put Pikachu back down on the ground.

"Yeah!" Ash and Misty simultaneously exclaimed.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"I'll get started on dinner, 'kay?" Delia declared. "The three of you can start setting the table while Mimey helps me in the kitchen." She ordered.

"But Mom!" Ash started. "I've only been home for five minutes and you're already ordering me around? Why can't Misty do it while I take a break?" he complained.

"Now Ash." Delia started. "Misty is our guest. She doesn't HAVE to help you if she doesn't want to." She said as she gave Ash a slight glare.

"No no, of course I'll help, Mrs. Ketchum!" Misty interrupted. "Come on, Ash." She said as she took his hand and started dragging him towards a cupboard in the kitchen, remembering from her last visit that the plates and cutleries were located in there. "Let's start setting the table." She added.

The rest of the evening went by pretty quickly after that. Delia made a huge feast for dinner, which included all of Ash's favourites. All the food disappeared pretty quickly though, as Ash devoured plate after plate. Misty helped Delia with the dishes and the three humans sat in the living room after that, with Ash and Misty retelling the adventures they had in their latest journey through the Johto region. It was around this time that everyone was starting to tire out.

"Well, I'm heading off to bed, you two." Delia announced as she got up from the sofa she was sitting in. "Oh, I almost forgot!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Yeah? What is it, Mom?" Ash asked as he stared at his mother.

"Well, you see; I received a lot of stock for the Pallet House earlier today." Delia informed Ash and Misty. "And all of it is in the guest bedroom, which is completely packed full." She added. "So…since Mimey is sleeping on the couch tonight; Misty gets your bed, Ash." She declared as she looked at her son.

"Hey Wait," Ash started. "Where am I supposed to sleep then?" he asked as he glared at his mother.

"Why, you sleep on the floor in your room, silly." Delia casually informed Ash.

"WHAT?" Ash exclaimed as he stared at his mother in disbelief.

"Oh come on, hunny." Delia said. "You've slept outside in forests, so what's wrong with a couple of nights' sleep on the floor in your room?" she inquired. "It's just until the stock is transported to the restaurant, hunny." She added.

"But Mom!" Ash started whining.

"No buts, Ash." Delia interrupted Ash. "Misty's our guest, so she gets your bed." She declared.

"But why can't I get the couch, then?" Ash hopefully asked.

"Mime!" Mimey angrily exclaimed as it glared at Ash.

"Because Mimey is sleeping on the couch for the time being." Delia informed Ash.

"But why does he get it and me, your own son!" Ash said as he stood up from the couch.

"Because Mimey called dibs on the couch." Delia said as she shrugged her shoulders, seeing that as an appropriate reason.

"But Mom!" Ash started whining again.

"No buts, Ash." Delia calmly stated. "Now, good night everyone. Sleep tight!" she said as she disappeared up the stairs.

Ash and Misty looked at the stairs for quite some time, before Mimey shooed Misty off of the couch, wanting to get some sleep. The two of them, along with Pikachu, then retired to Ash's room upstairs, where the pokemon Trainer proceeded to grumpily set his sleeping bag up for the night. Soon, all the lights in the house were turned off and everything was quiet, or so was thought…

Ash grumbled as he turned onto his back. Pikachu had gotten himself a pillow to sleep on, so the pokemon Trainer was alone in his sleeping bag.

"Hey Ash…" he heard someone whisper from his left.

"Yeah, Misty?" he softly asked, knowing it could only be Misty and that he knew her voice. He looked up to his left to find Misty leaning over the side of the bed and looking down at him.

"You know," Misty softly whispered as she looked down at Ash. "If you really want to sleep in your bed, we can switch…" she softly informed Ash.

Ash stared at her for a moment, although they couldn't see each other since it was pitch black dark. He then vigilantly shook his head. "No Misty!" he whispered. "I don't mind." He added. "I would never let you sleep on the floor while I slept in a bed." He casually informed her, as if it wasn't a big deal whatsoever.

Misty, on the other hand, was staring at Ash with her mouth hanging wide open. Did Ash just offer his bed up…for her? She blinked a few times and then a huge smile started forming on her lips. "Do you mean that?" she softly asked.

"Of course I do." Ash whispered back as he frowned up at Misty's silhouette. _'Why would she ask something like that?'_ he asked himself mentally.

Misty smiled down at Ash. She then bit her bottom lip. "Hey Ash," she softly whispered. "Can you do something for me?" she whispered.

"Sure." Ash whispered as he kept frowning at Misty. "What is it?" he softly inquired.

Misty bit down on her bottom lip again. "Can you…lift your arm up to me?" she softly asked as her cheeks started turning pink. Boy; was she glad that it was dark right now.

Ash looked up at Misty with a genuinely confused look in his eyes. But, curious as ever; he slowly stuck his arm up towards the red-head.

Misty saw Ash's arm approaching her. She took a deep breath and slowly grabbed hold of his hand. She could feel Ash stiffen at that moment and it caused her to blush even more. She then brought his hand closer to her and softly rubbed her cheek against the top of his hand and turned her head, which caused her lips to softly rub along his fingers. "Thank you, Ash." She softly whispered before letting go of his hand. "Goodnight." She whispered before she turned to her side on the bed and closed her eyes as an invigorating scent started filling her lungs. It smelled so familiar. _'Ash…'_ she thought as she slowly started drifting off to sleep, unconsciously snuggling deeper into the pillow.

Ash had slowly let his arm drop back down to his side. He continued to stare up at where he could see Misty's silhouette a few moments ago, a huge smile on his face. "Goodnight, Misty." He softly said, barely audible, before he too drifted off to sleep…

**Like I said; not really much happening in this chapter.**

**Please review! The more you guys review; the faster I write! So please!**

**Until next chapter.**

**Cheers**


	21. Chapter 21

**Next chapter!**

**Thank you guys so much for all the reviews! It's awesome to know that people read this story.**

**Guys; we've finally passed the 100 000-word mark! WOOHOO! And there is still a lot to come. The action is coming.**

**Anyway, this is also kind of a filler chapter so don't expect a lot!**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 21: Upbringings of Pallet:**

The sun was out nice and early the next morning. Pallet Town was as peaceful as ever. The Dodrio had awoken most of the townsfolk with its cry. Well, all the occupants of the Ketchum residence were awake, that is. Ash, Misty and Pikachu didn't realise just how tired they actually were, until their heads met the pillows under them. It was exactly what the three of them needed: A nice, peaceful night in a comfortable bed. Well, that was true in Misty and Pikachu's cases. As for Ash; it wasn't a very comfortable night. Yes, he at least had a roof over his head, but the fact that he had to sleep on the floor in his room didn't help that much. For him, it was just like any other night while they were traveling: Sleeping on the ground. But, to be honest; it really didn't bug him that much, mostly because of Misty's actions right before they went to sleep. It made him peaceful and happy. All three of them were currently sitting around the table in the kitchen having breakfast.

"Mmmm, Mom; this is delicious!" Ash proclaimed after he swallowed the piece of pancake he was chewing on. Man, it was good to be home for the pokemon Trainer.

"Yeah, Mrs. Ketchum. This IS delicious!" Misty agreed with Ash as she took another bite of her own pile of pancakes.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he put another pellet of pokemon food into his mouth. Although Delia didn't make his breakfast; he was happy that he got some of Professor Oak's special pokemon food, which of course, tasted absolutely divine for the yellow mouse.

"Why, thank you, children." Delia said as she turned around to face Ash, Misty and Pikachu at the table. "Who wants more pancakes?" she asked.

"Oh! Me, me!" Ash excitedly declared as he waved his arm in the air. He had cleaned up most of the previous plate his mother made, but there was just no filling his black hole-like stomach.

"No thanks, no more for me, Mrs. Ketchum." Misty politely said. "I've had enough." She stated as she neatly put her knife and fork on her plate.

Mimey had already eaten breakfast along with Delia, so the Barrier pokemon was currently working in its master's pride and joy: Her garden.

"Okay, sweetie." Delia said to Ash as she turned back to the oven. "More pancakes, coming up!" she declared as she started cooking a few more pancakes for her son, while Ash looked on in expectation.

Misty sighed at Ash's overly love for food. "Jeez Ash, take it easy." She sarcastically said.

Ash turned to Misty and merely stuck his tongue out at her, which resulted in an all-out tongue sticking-war between the two of them.

"Here you go, hunny." Delia exclaimed as she put another pile of pancakes in front of Ash, who didn't waste any time and started devouring the meal.

It was at this moment that Ash also remembered why he had come back to Pallet Town. "Hey Mom." He started after he swallowed. "What's all this about the letter?" he asked as he shoved another fork-full of pancake into his mouth.

"What letter, sweety?" Delia asked as she frowned at Ash from where she was standing.

Ash gave his mother a confused look. "You know what letter, Mom." He said. "The one that said I should come back home ASAP." He explained to his mother.

Delia gave Ash an empty stare. "What're you talking about, hun?" she curiously asked.

Ash gave his mother a stare of disbelief. How could she not know of this? "You mean you don't know anything about it?" he asked.

"About what?" Delia answered with a confused look in her eyes as she tilted her head to the side.

"About the letter, Mom!" Ash yelled in frustration. "The letter that Tracey brought to me in Cerulean City that said I should come home immediately." He explained.

"Hmm…" Delia exclaimed as she gave the situation some thought. "Nope, I don't know what you're talking about, sweety." She finally said.

Ash groaned at his mother's answer. "Now what am I supposed to do?" he complained. "The Pokemon League sent me a letter requesting me to come home, but now I don't know what to do from here." He sighed.

"Did you say the Pokemon League?" Delia asked, interrupting Ash's thoughts.

"Yeah, Mom. The Pokemon League." Ash said as he nodded in approval at his mom.

"Oh, why didn't you say so, hunny?" Delia said.

"What do you mean, Mom?" Ash asked as he sat up in his chair, looking at his mother with great expectancy.

"Well, I mean that Professor Oak talked to me about something regarding the Pokemon League." Delia casually said.

"He did?" Ash and Misty simultaneously asked as they stared at Delia.

"Yep." Delia exclaimed. "I think he said that you should go to him once you get here, or something like that." She explained as she placed her finger on her chin in thought.

"Mom, why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?" Ash asked as he glared at his mother in frustration.

"Hmmm…" Delia exclaimed as she thought about it. "I guess it slipped my mind." She finally said as she innocently shrugged her shoulders, causing Ash to sweat-drop and fall down face-first on the floor.

"Mom!" Ash moaned as he got back up onto his chair.

"Sorry, Ashy!" Delia apologized at Ash.

Misty snickered from the other side of the table, which changed into giggling after a while.

"What's so funny?" Ash asked as he frowned at Misty in confusion.

"Oh, nothing." Misty casually said. "Ashy." She added as she knowingly smirked at Ash.

Ash growled at Misty. Great, now he wouldn't hear the end of that name. His attention then went back to the more important subject: The letter. "But, then we have to get to Professor Oak's as soon as possible!" he announced as he got up from his chair. However; he sat back down in his chair almost immediately after that.

"What's the matter now?" Misty curiously asked as she frowned at Ash.

"I've gotta finish my breakfast!" he declared before he started shoving fork-after-fork of pancake into his mouth. "Can't faste good fwood!" he exclaimed with his mouth full of chewed-up pancake.

"Ash! That's disgusting!" Misty yelled as she looked away from Ash and his overly-packed mouth.

"Ash Ketchum!" Delia shrieked as she gave Ash a furious glare. "Where are your manners!?" she yelled at her son.

"I'm fowwy, Mom!" Ash yelled back as he defensively cowered under the table, his mouth still full of food.

"Ash!" Delia yelled.

"Fowwy!" Ash replied.

"ASH!"

"I'M SORRY!"…

A while later, after Ash had received a fair amount of scolding and lessons about rudeness in front of guests by his mother as well as finishing his breakfast at last; He, Misty and Pikachu were now on their way to Professor Oak's lab to find out a bit more about the official Pokemon League letter that Ash received.

"Wow," Misty exclaimed as she looked around them. "I've never noticed how beautiful Pallet Town is." She remarked.

"Yeah," Ash exclaimed as he looked at Misty. "You're used to this much openness in Cerulean City, are you?" he asked.

"Not even close!" Misty answered. "Everything there is so crowded. No space." She remarked. "But here…" she added. "There're so much open fields here. A whole lot of nature." She continued.

"And you haven't even explored this place yet." Ash informed her. "There's really a lot of stuff to do around here." He added.

"It sure looks like it." Misty agreed. "It's a real bummer that we can't really explore, since this usually is a short pit stop before we go on our next journey." She remarked.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Ash glumly stated. He really wanted to show Misty around his hometown, but she was right. They never had any real time to truly explore Pallet Town and its surroundings.

The two of them along with Pikachu walked the rest of the way to Professor Oak's lab in relative silence and soon reached the front gate of the laboratory. The three of them proceeded to climb the relatively long flight of stairs and finally stood in front of the lab's front doors.

Ash knocked on the door a couple of times, excited about finally finding out what's going on regarding him and the Pokemon League. His excitement was quelled however, when no-one answered the door.

"Hmm…" Ash exclaimed before he knocked again, but there still wasn't any response from the other side of the door.

"I guess no one's home." Misty figured as she expectantly looked at the door.

"Only one way to find out!" Ash declared as he stepped forward once more. He then placed his hand on the doorknob, and turned.

Much to Misty's surprise; the door clicked and when Ash gave it a little force; the door slowly swung open. Ash, on the other hand, wasn't surprised at all. Pallet Town was well-known for the town with the least crime in the Kanto region, so finding the door unlocked was a normal occurrence for the pokemon Trainer.

He then proceeded to start walking into the lab, but was abruptly pulled back by his collar. "Hey, what gives!?" he angrily yelled as he turned around and found himself looking right at Misty, who also bore a glare on her face.

"What do you think you're doing, Ash!?" Misty angrily yelled at Ash.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked as he frowned at the red-head in confusion.

"I mean, you can't just walk into someone's home uninvited!" Misty informed Ash as she pulled him back even more.

"Why not?" Ash protested. "I do it all the time! Professor Oak doesn't mind." He informed the red-head.

"Ash," Misty started. "It's RUDE to just waltz into someone's house!" she said as she moved her face closer to Ash's to emphasize her point.

"Oh yeah!?" Ash asked as he stood up to Misty, ready for a battle with the red-head.

"Yeah." Misty venomously whispered, her breath blowing against Ash's face.

Ash's glare disappeared. "Wow." He suddenly exclaimed.

Misty gave Ash a weird look. "What?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What is it?"

Ash blinked at Misty. "Well uhm…" he uncertainly started. "Your breath smells kind of…nice…" he innocently remarked.

Misty's mouth was now hanging open as she stared at Ash with wide eyes. "M-my breath?" she softly repeated.

Ash innocently nodded at Misty.

Misty's cheeks were now pink and it was busy darkening into a deep red colour. She then hastily pulled herself away from Ash and looked to her left, avoiding looking at the pokemon Trainer. "Uhm…thanks?" she uncertainly asked as she kept her hand slightly in front of her mouth so that Ash couldn't really smell her breath again.

"Sure thing, Misty!" Ash innocently exclaimed in his usual happy-go-lucky demeanour, not really realising that he just gave Misty a compliment. He then turned back in front of him. "Hello? Anybody in here?" he suddenly yelled into the lab.

Ash's sudden yelling snapped Misty out of her embarrassed state. "Ash!" she softly hissed. "Don't do that!" she added.

"Do what, Misty?" Ash asked as he looked over his shoulder at the red-head, frowning in confusion. "You said I shouldn't be so rude, so I yelled into the house." He stated. "Someone's bound to know that we're here now." He added with a shrug of his shoulders. "Come on, Misty!" he moaned. "Just follow me." He said as he walked in through the front door.

Misty watched as Ash disappeared around the corner. She then sighed. "Hey Ash! Wait for me!" she yelled before she ran in after the pokemon Trainer.

The two of them, with Pikachu situated on Ash's left shoulder, were now walking through the laboratory. Ash had somehow managed, to get them lost…

"Uhm…" He exclaimed as they now stood in front of a corridor that split in two directions: Left and right. He was trying to get to the living room of the lab, figuring that Professor oak is probably reading some book there. "Which way is it again…" he asked himself as he frowned towards each side.

"Ash," Misty interrupted his thoughts from behind him. "We've been standing here for almost three minutes." She informed the pokemon Trainer. "Is there somewhere we're heading?" she impatiently asked.

"Yeah, we're going to the living room." Ash informed Misty as he nervously laughed while scratching the back of his head. He then turned back in front of him. "Uhm…it's this way!" he announced as he turned to the left and followed that corridor.

Misty shrugged her shoulders and followed Ash down the corridor, with Ash praying that it would lead to the living room.

Unfortunately; Ash was wrong. The corridor didn't lead them to the living room. Instead, it led them right to the lab section of the building.

"Ash, I don't think this is the living room…" Misty remarked as she looked around them.

"Oops…" Ash exclaimed as he took a couple of steps back. "I-I think we should get out of here…" he suggested. "I don't want to accidently break something. This stuff looks expensive…" he said before he rapidly left the room, followed by Misty.

They returned to the three-way fork and then walked down the right-hand corridor, hoping that this one would lead them to the living room. Much to Ash's relief; this corridor led the gang straight into the living room. But much the three's disappointment; Professor Oak was nowhere to be found in this area.

"Man," Ash started. "Where could the Professor be…" he wondered out loud. "He's usually around here, reading some books about pokemon." He explained.

"Well, let's keep looking for him then?" Misty suggested, to which Ash replied by nodding in agreement. She took a look around them, until she spotted a closed door in the corner of her eye. "Hey Ash, where does that door lead to?" she asked as she pointed to the said door.

Ash followed Misty's finger and saw the door. "Oh." He simply stated. "That leads outside to the Oak Corral." He said matter-of-factly.

"Why don't we go look there?" Misty suggested.

"Sure." Ash answered before the two of them and Pikachu, on Ash's shoulder, walked towards the door.

Ash turned the doorknob, opened the door and stepped outside, followed by Misty. Once outside; the three of them were greeted by a beautiful scene, with pokemon roaming all over the grassy field in front of them.

"Wow." Misty exclaimed as she looked around them. "There're a lot of pokemon here." She remarked.

"Yeah, well." Ash started. "I don't play around when I'm catching pokemon." He stated as he held his head high in the air.

"Oh please, Ash." Misty said, deflating Ash's ego. "How many pokemon have you caught? And how many of them are currently residing here?" she asked as she looked at the pokemon Trainer with her arms crossed over her chest and her foot impatiently tapping on the grass.

"I own…uhm…" Ash stuttered before he started counting on his fingers. "Let's see…" he mumbled to himself as he kept counting. "41!" he suddenly exclaimed.

Misty sighed at this. "Okay. First off:" she started. "The 30 Tauros you caught doesn't count. Only one species of pokemon." She informed him. "And besides; Brock caught one of those Tauros, so you actually have 29." She added. "So, that leaves your tally at?" she asked as Ash started counting on his fingers.

"Twelve…" Ash mumbled in defeat.

"I see…" Misty said with a triumphant smirk.

"Whatever." Ash mumbled, but his eyes caught a glimpse of something after that. "Professor Oak!" he excitedly called out.

"Professor Oak?" Misty repeated with a slight frown before she turned to where Ash was looking.

Yes, it was indeed Professor Oak whom Ash spotted. He was currently putting out bowls of pokemon food, presumably for all the pokemon that lived on his ranch.

"Hmm?" the Professor exclaimed as he turned around. "Ash?" he asked as he saw Ash, along with Misty and Pikachu, approaching him.

"Hey, Professor!" Ash happily said as he stopped in front of Professor Oak.

"Hello, Ash, Misty!" Professor Oak happily greeted back.

"Hey, Professor Oak!" Misty greeted.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu also greeted from on top of Ash's shoulder.

"Hello, Pikachu. How are you?" Professor Oak asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu positively exclaimed.

"I was wondering when you would drop by, Ash." Professor Oak stated as he turned his attention to Ash.

Before Ash could answer, however; the four of them heard a rumbling noise coming from their right, growing louder and louder. They turned their attention towards the noise and noticed a giant cloud of dust starting to approach them.

"Uh – Oh…" Professor Oak exclaimed.

"What's that?" Ash asked out loud, referring to the cloud of dust. Upon closer inspection; the pokemon Trainer started noticing what was in the cloud: All of his pokemon who stayed at the ranch! "Are those my pokemon?" he asked as he turned to where Professor Oak and Misty were standing. But they weren't standing there anymore.

"Over here, Ash!" he heard Misty call out. He followed her voice and found her and Professor Oak now standing far away from him.

"Cowards." He stated. "Right, Pikachu?" he asked as he turned to look on his shoulder. But much to his surprise; Pikachu was not there. "Pikachu?" He said again.

"Pikapi!" he heard Pikachu yelling. He turned to the yellow mouse's voice and found him standing next to Misty on the ground.

"Not you too!" Ash moaned, but before he could dwell any further on the subject; the stampede was on him. "HELP ME!" he yelled as every single pokemon of his that lived on the ranch, welcomed him home.

The pokemon eventually made a circle around their master as Misty, Professor Oak and Pikachu approached him.

"Ash, are you okay?" Misty asked as she looked down at Ash.

"Splendid…" Ash replied, his eyes now replaced with swirly circles as he lay on the grass.

After all the commotion, which involved all of Ash's pokemon on the ranch greeting him individually with powerful hugs, licks and stampedes, with Bulbasaur having to calm down all the pokemon and convince them that Ash is already partially crushed; Ash Misty and Professor Oak were now back inside the building. Ash had decided to let Bayleef, Totodile and Kingler out of their pokeballs to play with his other pokemon, while Pikachu decided to join his fellow pokemon too.

"So, Professor Oak," Ash started.

The three of them were now sitting in the lounge area of the building.

"What were you doing outside?" he curiously asked.

"Simple, Ash." Professor Oak replied. "I was feeding the pokemon, of course." He stated. "Since Tracey isn't here right now; I took over his job for the time being." He explained.

Ash and Misty both nodded in understanding.

"So," Ash started again. "I take it you know about the letter, Professor Oak?" he asked the Professor.

"Are you talking about the letter that you received from the Pokemon League?" Professor Oak inquired, to which Ash responded by nodding. "Yes, I do." He answered as he affirmatively nodded.

"Great!" Ash exclaimed. "Can you tell me what it's all about, Professor?" he asked as with great excitement.

Professor Oak shook his head negatively. "I'm afraid not, Ash." He said, which caused Ash's excitement to change into curiosity. "I really don't know what it's about." He stated.

"You don't?" Ash repeated. "But my Mom said that you told her to tell me that I have to come see you as soon as possible to find out more!" he explained.

"Ash, you didn't let me finish." Professor Oak interrupted Ash. "Like I was saying; I don't really know what it is about." He repeated. "But, I've received a notification on my e-mail that Mr. Goodshow himself come down to Pallet Town and explain to you in person." He informed Ash.

"Really?" Ash asked as he stared wide-eyes at Professor Oak.

"Yes, Ash." Professor Oak replied. "He will be arriving sometime in the next four to seven days." He explained. "So I suggest you stay here and wait for him." He suggested.

"I guess you're right, Professor." Ash agreed. "I guess I could do with some off-time." He figured.

"We could hang around at your house for the time being." Misty suggested as she looked at Ash.

"Yep, good idea, Misty." Ash replied as he got up from his seat. "Thanks for the information, Professor." He said as he turned to Professor Oak.

"My pleasure, Ash." Professor Oak replied as he too got up from his seat. "Now, if you will excuse me; I've got some errands to take care of." He said.

"Sure, no problem, Professor Oak." Ash assured Professor Oak.

"Take care, you two." Professor Oak said before he excused himself from the room.

"Come on, Misty;" Ash started. "Let's find Pikachu and head on home." He declared.

Misty got up from her seat and the two of them went back outside again.

"Pikachu!" Ash called through cupped hands.

"Pika?" Pikachu exclaimed as he stuck his head out from behind a bush. He was currently in conversation with Bulbasaur.

"Come on, buddy. We're heading back home!" Ash yelled again.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled back at Ash. "Pika Pika, Pikakapika!" he exclaimed as he waved goodbye to Bulbasaur.

"Saur, Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur bid farewell to the yellow mouse.

Pikachu then scampered off towards Ash and Misty. "Pika!" he exclaimed as he jumped onto his master's right shoulder.

"Are you ready to go, buddy?" Ash asked as he scratched Pikachu behind his left ear.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he affirmatively nodded.

"Alright, let's go." Ash declared before he and Misty went back inside again.

The three of them walked through the building and followed the corridors all the way back to the front door through which they entered earlier. Once they were back outside; they walked down the stairs, exited the premises through the front gate and then started walking back to Ash's house down the street. They reached the Ketchum residence pretty soon and the three of them went inside through the back door.

"Hey Mom!" Ash yelled as he walked through the kitchen and kicked his shoes off, looking around for his mother. "Where are you?" he yelled again as he walked into the living room.

"Ash, is that you, hunny?" Delia asked as she peeked through the window from outside. She was wearing a white garden hat with dark yellow gloves and a garden-spade in her hand.

"What're you doing, Mom?" Ash asked as he opened the front door and stepped outside, followed by Pikachu on his shoulder and Misty behind him.

"Mimey and I are working in the garden, of course." Delia stated.

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey exclaimed as it looked up at the children.

"Oh, okay." Ash said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway," he started again. "I just wanted to tell you that we'll be staying here for a while." He informed his mother. "Professor Oak said that Mr. Goodshow is coming to Pallet Town to explain what the letter is about, so I have to wait for him." He explained.

Delia immediately lighted up after hearing that. "So, you're staying at home for a while?" she clarified.

"Yep." Misty answered for Ash. "If it's okay with you if I stay here, Mrs. Ketchum." She added.

"Of course, Misty!" Delia stated. "You can stay here as long as you like, dear!" she added.

"Thanks so much, Mrs. Ketchum." Misty said, sort of relieved that she had permission to stay at the Ketchum residence.

"Oh, this is wonderful news!" Delia said as she jumped up onto her feet in joy. "My baby will be spending time at home!" she continued.

"Yeah." Ash said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Anyway, we're gonna go inside now." He announced before he started walking back inside, followed by Misty and Pikachu.

"Okay, sweety." Delia answered before she and Mimey resumed their gardening.

Ash pluffed down on the couch and stretched out. Misty sat down next to him while Pikachu climbed up onto the single chair opposite the couch.

"So," Ash started as he turned to Misty. "What do you want to do now?" he asked her.

"Hmm…" Misty exclaimed as she started thinking. "Well, I don't know, Ash." She answered. "I mean, I don't really know Pallet Town that well. So I don't know what here is to do." She explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Hmm…" Ash exclaimed as he frowned at the ground. Then an idea suddenly appeared in his head. "Hey, I know!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah?" Misty asked as she looked at Ash, waiting for an answer.

"Well," Ash started. "Remember this morning when you said that we never get the time to explore Pallet Town?" he asked, to which Misty responded by nodding. "Well, why don't we do it now?" he suggested. "Why don't I show you around Pallet Town? All the fun places to visit?" he elaborated.

Misty looked at Ash for a moment. "That's a great idea!" she finally stated.

"Alright!" Ash cheered as he got up from the couch. "Pikachu, do you want to join us? Or do you want to go play with the other pokemon at Professor Oak's?" he asked. "I bet you guys have a lot of catching up to do?" he added.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu answered as he showed two of his fingers at Ash, signalling that he wants to do the latter.

"Okay." Ash stated as he walked to the front door. "Hey Mom," he started. "Me and Misty are gonna go explore Pallet Town, 'kay?" he informed his mother.

"Okay, sweety." Delia said as she looked up at Ash. "Have fun!" she added before turning her attention back to the garden.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu then went back into the kitchen, with Ash and Misty putting their shoes back on, before they walked out through the back door and into the ground road, on their way to Professor Oak's Lab once again.

Ash knocked on the front door. Luckily for him; the door was opened this time by Professor Oak.

"Ash? Misty?" the Professor asked as he looked at the three of them in confusion. "What brings you back here?" he asked.

"Hey, Professor Oak." Ash said. "Well, I'm going to give Misty a little tour around Pallet Town and Pikachu wanted to stay here with all the pokemon. So I was wondering if it's alright if he can stay here? We'll come pick him up later." He politely asked.

"Sure, it's not a problem at all." Professor Oak assured Ash. "Come on, Pikachu." He said as he stepped out of the doorway.

"Okay, buddy. Have fun and see you later!" Ash said as he looked at Pikachu.

"Pika, Pikapi. Pika, Pikachupi." Pikachu stated before he jumped off of Ash's shoulder and headed inside with Professor Oak.

"Take care, you two." Professor Oak said before he closed the door.

"Alright." Ash said as he turned to Misty. "Let's get this tour started!" He declared with a fist-pump.

"So," Misty started as she turned her attention to Ash. "Where are we going first?" she inquired.

The two of them were currently walking down one of the dirt paths.

"Well, I've got a few places to show you that are really fun." Ash said. "So we're going to do the hills first." He informed her.

Misty just shrugged her shoulders, seeing as she didn't even know what he was talking about, and followed Ash down the road.

They started walking out of Pallet Town and were now on the outskirts, where nature took over.

"Wow," Misty exclaimed as she looked around them.

There were vast hills all around them, spanning into the horizon far away.

"Yeah, Pallet Town is famous for its beautiful hills and grasslands." Ash informed Misty. "Come on, follow me." He said as he started walking again. "I want to show you something." He added.

Misty nodded and followed the pokemon Trainer.

Ash led the red-head up onto one of the hills and stopped in front of a big tree.

"A tree?" Misty asked as she gave a sceptical eye. "You want to show me a tree?" she elaborated.

"No, Misty. Just hang on." Ash said as he started circling the tree. "Where is it…" he muttered to himself as he started climbing up the tree. "Aha!" he exclaimed and jumped off onto the ground. "Here it is." He said as he showed Misty a wooden board. It appeared to be a piece of broken-off tree branch.

"Yeah? A branch?" Misty asked as she frowned at Ash in confusion. "What about it?" she asked.

Ash sighed in exasperation. "Just watch." he said as he walked to the side of the hill. He then placed the branch on the ground, put his foot down on the back side and then turned put his front foot on, sending him down the hill.

"Ash!" Misty yelled as she ran to the side, only to see Ash skiing down the side of the hill on the branch. She then breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Ash stopped at the bottom of the hill and looked back up to Misty and waved to her before he started climbing the hill back up towards the red-head. "That was fun. It's been ages since I've done that." He stated as he finally stopped next to her. "I'm glad no one stole my board." He said as he looked at the piece of tree branch in his hand.

"Your board?" Misty repeated as she frowned at Ash.

"Yeah. You see, me and Gary always used to race down this hill." Ash started as he pointed down the hill. "Well, this is my board and he always tried to steal it!" he angrily said. "So I hid it here in the tree, and I guess he never found it! The best board ever!" He triumphantly declared as he held the board victoriously in the air.

"Uhm…okay…" Misty said as she gave Ash a weird look.

"Anyway," Ash started again. "Do you want to try, Misty?" he asked as he held the board out to her.

"Uh…" Misty exclaimed as she nervously looked down the hill. "N-no thanks. I'm good." She finally said after turning back to Ash.

"Come on, Misty!" Ash tried again. "It's not that bad!" he tried persuading her. "I'll go down with you?" he finally suggested when he saw that the red-head wasn't going to budge.

Misty gave him a sceptical eye. "Really?" she asked.

"Sure!" Ash said as he put the board down on the ground. "We'll go down together!" he said.

"O-okay…" Misty conceded. To be honest; she really did want to try this hill skiing-thing out. But, being a girl; she WAS scared, even though she'd never admit it to Ash.

"Great!" Ash said. "Do you want to sit in front or at the back?" he asked as he looked at the red-head, anxious to get this ride started.

"Uhm…the back?" Misty half-heartedly chose as she uncertainly stepped closer.

"Okay," Ash said as he sat down on the front of the board. "Well, get on, then." he said as he expectantly looked at the red-head.

Misty looked at Ash and then down at the board. She then slowly got on the board and sat down behind Ash.

"Are you ready?" Ash asked as he looked over his shoulder at Misty.

"Uh huh." Misty said as she nodded.

"One," Ash started counting. "Two," he kept going. "THREE!" he yelled as he shoved himself forward, causing the board to start sliding down the hill.

As soon as the board started picking up speed; Misty shrieked at the top of her lungs and her arms immediately latched themselves around Ash's torso in front of her, with her head planted on his left shoulder.

Ash, on the other hand, was having a blast. Sure, this wasn't nearly as fun as it was when he was standing on the board instead of sitting. But it was fun nonetheless. It was kind of funny to see Misty screaming like this, but he would never tell her that, seeing as it would probably earn him a severe beating from the red-head.

The board eventually came to a stop at the bottom of the hill.

Ash loosened his grip on the front of the board. "That was fun, eh, Misty?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder at the red-head, who remained quiet and kept her grip around Ash's torso. "Uh, Misty?" Ash repeated. Still getting no answer; he slowly wiggled himself out of the red-head's grip and stood up. _'Oh boy, this isn't good…'_ he thought to himself as he gulped. This could only be a bad sign for him.

Misty slowly brought her fists up to her chest and then closed her eyes, a sign that she would explode any minute.

Ash took a few more steps away from Misty in fear.

"T-That…was…" Misty slowly stuttered out, her eyes still closed and fists still clenched against her chest. "AMAZING!" she finally squealed.

"WHAT!?" Ash almost yelled as he stared wide-eyed at Misty.

"That was so awesome!" Misty said as she got off of the board. "Let's do it again!" she excitedly suggested.

Ash merely stared at Misty for a few moments, before he fell down face-first.

A good part of the afternoon was spent sliding down various hills around Pallet Town. Misty enjoyed this activity very much and Ash, much to his own surprise, had to really move to keep up with the red-head. There was also an interesting scene in which Misty stole Ash's board and ran away with it, leaving the pokemon Trainer furious that someone finally managed to steal his beloved board.

The two of them went back into Pallet Town and walked through one of the dirt roads. They had spent most of their time playing in the hills, and it was late noon. Ash decided that Pallet Town itself didn't really have any real places worth showing, so he bought himself and Misty each a cone with ice cream and they were currently sitting in a grass field somewhere outside of Pallet, watching the sunset.

Ash didn't waste time in devouring his poor cone. He ordered a quadruple scoop for himself and a double scoop for Misty. He had already inhaled the first two scoops and was currently busy with the third.

Misty, however, ate at a much slower pace, only licking her ice cream every now-and-then. She looked at the sun that was now slowly setting over the mountains in the horizon. She then stole a quick glance at Ash, who was sitting next to her on the grass, licking large amounts of ice cream into his mouth. She looked at the pokemon Trainer for a little while longer, before she turned back to the sunset in front of them. She then slowly stuck hand out and softly rested it on the top of Ash's hand, which was on the ground next to her. She felt Ash stiffen, which caused a slight pink shade to form over her cheeks, but she didn't dare to look in the pokemon Trainer's direction.

Ash, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about his delicious ice cream and was now staring at Misty with his mouth hanging wide open. He looked down to Misty's hand resting on his, which caused his cheeks to turn bright red. Every fibre in his body was yelling at him to jerk his hand away. He was actually very close to doing it, but something in his head told him that doing that would hurt the red-head's feelings severely. So, instead of doing that, he took a deep breath and a look of determination appeared on his face. He then slowly turned his hand under Misty's hand and laced his fingers in between the red-head's. As soon as he did is; he quickly turned his attention back to the now-very-interesting sunset.

Misty looked at her and Ash's hands in shock, almost to the point of dropping her ice cream. She looked up at his face and noticed his cheeks were burning red. It was at that point that she realised that Ash was also new to this relationship. It wasn't only her who felt that way. Both of them were in it, together.

The two of them stole a quick glance at each other, before Ash quickly looked in front of him when he made eye contact with the red-head

Misty sincerely smiled as she gently closed her fingers against Ash's hand and turned back to the sunset.

The two of them stayed like that until their ice cream cones were finished. They then headed to Professor Oak's lab, where Ash didn't even bother walking up all the stairs. He instead called out to Pikachu from the fence of the Oak Corral, to which the yellow mouse responded and came running to them. The three of them were now on their way back to Ash's home, having just entered the Ketchum residence through the front gate.

"Hey Mom!" Ash yelled as he opened the front door. "We're home!" he yelled again.

Much to Ash, Misty and Pikachu's surprise; all of the lights were off and the house was empty.

"That's weird…" Ash mumbled as he looked around. "Where could they be?" he asked out loud.

"Hey, Ash," Misty said from behind Ash. "Look at this." She said as she pointed towards a piece of folded paper stuck on the front door, with 'Ash' written on it.

Ash took the note off of the door and unfolded it. "Dear Ashy," he started reading the contents of the letter in irritation. "At the Pallet House. Come down. We're waiting for you here. Mom and Mimey." He read out loud. "What's Mom doing there?" he asked out loud.

"Only one way to find out." Misty stated as she stepped outside again.

Ash sighed. "Yeah, you're right." He said as he stepped outside, closed the door behind him and walked back to the front of the group, seeing as he was the only one who knew where the Pallet House was.

The gang eventually stopped in front of a wooden building with the words 'Pallet House' in red located above the entrance.

"Well, here we are." Ash announced. He then walked to the entrance door and opened it up, followed by Misty and Pikachu on his shoulder.

Once they entered the building; they were greeted by a lot of people, familiar and also not-so-familiar.

Ash immediately started looking around for his mother, curious as to why she told them to come here. He eventually found her at a table in the left hand-side of the room, along with Mimey as well as Professor Oak. "Mom!" he called out as he started making his way over to them, with Misty following him.

"Ash?" Delia asked as she looked up. "You guys are finally here!" she excitedly said.

"Well, yeah." Ash agreed as she stopped in front of the table. "But why are we here, exactly?" he asked as he gave his mother a confused look.

"That's a good question, hunny." Delia answered. "This is you homecoming party, of course!" she informed Ash.

"My homecoming party?" Ash repeated.

"Yes, sweety." Delia answered. "We decided to have one for both your homecoming and your achievement in the Silver Conference." She explained to her son.

"Yes, Ash." Professor Oak agreed. "You should be very proud of yourself." He praised Ash. "You even managed to beat my grandson along the way." He added, albeit a bit gloomy.

"Yeah." Ash said as he nervously chuckled at the memory. "Hey, where is Gary, anyway?" he suddenly asked at the mention of his rival.

"He's on another journey, Ash." Professor Oak informed Ash. "He was only home for about a day before he set off again." He explained.

"WHAT?" Ash suddenly exclaimed. "He's on another journey and didn't tell em anything?" he added. "So that means that he's already got a huge head-start over me!" he suddenly panicked. "We've got to hit the road first thing in the morning!" he announced to Misty and Pikachu.

"Whoa, slow down there, Ash." Misty calmed Ash down. "You can't leave now." She informed the pokemon Trainer.

"That's right, Ash." Professor Oak agreed.

"Why not!?" Ash moaned like a five year-old.

"Because the Pokemon League president wants to see you here personally?" Misty informed Ash. "Have you forgotten about that?" she asked as she frowned at the boy.

It took a moment for Ash's brain to process this new information. "Uh, yeah. I kind of forgot hehe…" he finally said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

Delia, Professor Oak, Mimey, Misty and Pikachu all sighed at Ash's one track-mind.

"Anyway," Delia changed the subject. "This is a party in your name, sweety." She said as she looked at Ash. "So feel free to eat all you want." She informed her son.

Ash didn't need any second invitation and immediately ran off to the table where all the food was located.

The rest of the evening was spent eating and telling stories about Ash and Misty's past adventures. That is, however, until music started playing and the people started dancing in the middle of the room…

Ash, Misty and Pikachu all sat at the table where Delia, Professor Oak and Mimey also sat, looking at the festivities in the middle of the room.

"Hey Ash," Misty started as she turned to Ash.

"Yeah?" Ash asked as he looked at the red-head next to him.

"Do you want to uhm…" Misty trailed off as she looked down.

"What is it, Misty?" Ash asked as he curiously frowned at Misty.

"Do you want to go…d-dance with me?" Misty squeaked out as she looked up at Ash, her cheeks pink out of embarrassment.

"D-dance?" Ash repeated as he looked at the red-head with wide eyes, to which Misty responded by shyly nodding. "But, I don't know h-how to dance…" he informed the red-head.

"T-that's okay." Misty informed him. "I'll help you!" she added.

"Uhm, okay." Ash said. "Sure, why not, then?" he added as he smiled at the red-head.

"Really?" Misty asked, her expression immediately lighting up.

Ash responded by nodding affirmatively.

"Come on, then." Misty excitedly said as she grabbed Ash hand under the table and stood up, yanking the pokemon Trainer up with her.

The two of them started walking to the dance floor.

"So, uh, what now?" Ash asked as he stood in front of Misty on the dance floor. He really didn't know anything about dancing.

"Well," Misty started as she frowned. "You put your hands here." She stated as she took Ash's hands and placed them on her hips, which caused Ash's cheeks to immediately turn red. "And now just follow me." She said as she put her hands on his shoulders.

"O-okay…" Ash stuttered out.

Misty then slowly started moving around the dance floor, and Ash mimicked her by looking at her feet and following them.

"Ash," Misty softly whispered.

"Hm?" Ash exclaimed as he looked up at Misty. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Don't look at my feet." Misty said. "Look at me." She instructed Ash as she softly smiled at the pokemon Trainer. Misty had a lot of experience with dancing. She watched her sisters' shows many times when she was young, and they were filled with dance-scenes. So she knew what she was talking about.

The two of them danced to the slow song, with Misty leading and Ash nervously following her around on the floor. It took a while; but Ash started adjusting to the song's beat and was getting better and better.

The slow song stopped after a while and was replaced by a livelier tune. The two of them were joined by Delia, Professor Oak and even Mimey and Pikachu, and the three dancing couples: Ash and Misty, Delia and Professor Oak and finally Pikachu and Mimey, danced the rest of the night at the Pallet House, enjoying their off-time to the fullest…

**As I said; not really much happening.**

**But, I'm happy to say that all will be revealed in the next chapter!**

**Please, don't forget to review, ALL OF YOU! The more you review, the faster I write.**

**Also, I'm heading off to college in two days, so please don't be angry if I don't update for 2 weeks or so. I have to adjust first.**

**Until next time.**

**Cheers!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, I can explain! I am very, very, very sorry for this long delay! Really, I am!**

**The reason for having to wait so long was the fact that I started college about a month ago. To be honest, it's been one big adjustment! The workload, the long days etc. have made it very difficult for me to get as much writing done as before, I tried and tried, but every time I started writing, I was just so worn out from the day's work that I only wrote about 400 words at a time. So, please, forgive me.**

**Anyway, back to this chapter.**

**I'm sorry to say it, but this is probably the biggest filler chapter you will ever read. There is basically nothing happening in this chapter, except for the letter being explained, sort of.**

**Please, don't expect some big, creative event to take place regarding the letter. I'm not very creative.**

**I also just want to say that I'm sure all of you have noticed the absence of Togepi? I'm sorry, but he just won't fit into my plans right now. So forgive me for that.**

**Anyway, try to enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 22: Mystery Letter Resolved!:**

"Aha! Cyndaquil!" Ash yelled in relief.

"Cynda?" Cyndaquil questioned as it looked at its master, Ash. "Cynda Cynda!" it then angrily exclaimed, irritated with itself. It looked around itself and saw all its fellow pokemon scampering away from where it was standing. Noticing a giant Snorlax towards its left side. Yes, a very easy target indeed. Slow-moving and enormous. The Fire Mouse pokemon jumped in that direction and bounced against Snorlax's back.

"Snor?" Snorlax exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder at the soft disturbance of Cyndaquil bouncing off of his back.

"Cynda Cynda, Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil informed Snorlax, before turning around and sprinting away, out of the Sleeping pokemon's reach.

"Snorlax, Snor!" Snorlax whined as he sat down on the grass, his shoulders slumped forward in defeat. He then looked around and noticed a very unsuspecting Bulbasaur roaming through the slightly-long grass. "Snor!" he exclaimed as he started bulldozing towards the unsuspecting Kanto starter.

"Bulba?" Bulbasaur exclaimed as he turned towards the rumbling noise approaching him. He laid eyes on Snorlax, who was coming at him at quite a rapid pace for such a big mass. "Bulbasaur!" he yelled out as he looked at the oncoming Sleeping pokemon in horror.

"Snorlax Snor!" Snorlax happily exclaimed as it made a dive towards Bulbasaur.

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur exclaimed as he whipped his vines into the ground below him, sending him flying up into the air.

"Snor!" Snorlax exclaimed, before he crashed face-first into the grass under him.

Bulbasaur landed safely next to Snorlax and then sped off. Snorlax's crash caused a very weak earthquake to tremor through the ranch, earning the attention of a certain Heracross, among others…

"Heracro?" Heracross exclaimed as he walked closer to the crashed Snorlax in front of him. He bent down and gently nudged the Sleeping pokemon in the side with his horn.

"Snor!" Snorlax excitedly exclaimed as he suddenly sat up on the grass. "Snorlax Snor, Snorlax!" he explained as he frantically waved his arms through the air before pointing directly at Heracross.

"Hera?" Heracross exclaimed as he looked at Snorlax in shock, before he understood. "Heracross! Hera!" he exclaimed as he vigilantly shook his head in denial.

"Snorlax!" Snorlax replied. "Snorlax Snor, Snorlax!" he repeated as he stood in a triumphant pose.

"Hera!" Heracross whined as his shoulders slumped in defeat. He then looked up at Snorlax, a furious smirk on his face.

"Snor?" Snorlax asked as he carefully watched Heracross.

"Heracross!" Heracross suddenly yelled as he took to the air and darted towards Snorlax.

"Snor!" Snorlax exclaimed before he turned around and started running away, with Heracross giving chase through the air. This was one of those rare instances in which the Sleeping pokemon showed off tremendous speed for his mammoth form and was giving Heracross a run for his money because of that.

Ash was casually walking around through the ranch. There were no pokemon or a Misty near him. That is, until he heard a rumble coming from his left…

"Huh?" he exclaimed as he turned to the source of the ruckus. He then noticed Snorlax storming towards him. "Hey, Snorlax." He calmly stated as he watched the Sleeping pokemon run past him, completely ignoring his existence. He then heard another sound, which sounded more like buzzing wings. He turned back to his left, only to look directly at an oncoming Heracross, who crashed straight into the pokemon Trainer and sending both of them flying through the air.

"Ash!" Misty called out after she witnessed the scene. She ran up to where Ash and Heracross were currently lying on the grass. "Are you okay?" she asked as she stood over the pokemon Trainer, frowning out of curiosity.

"Fine…just fine…" Ash dazily replied as he lay on the grass, his eyes now replaced with swirly circles.

"Well, uhm…" Misty awkwardly started. "You're it…" she informed Ash, before scampering away.

"Great…" Ash mumbled, still dazed from his collision with Heracross, whom had also flown away from his tagged master.

Yes, it was a tough battle, playing tag with your pokemon. Not only were pokemon faster, stronger and more agile than a human; but a human was slower, weaker and less agile than pokemon! Ash, Misty and most of Ash's pokemon were participating in this little game of tag. Other pokemon, like Misty's Corsola and most of Ash's Water- and Flying-type pokemon were relaxing in the trees and pond nearby, with Totodile irritating everyone in the pond by dancing in the water and splashing it everywhere.

It's been about six days since Ash and Misty returned to Pallet Town, five since they heard that the President of the Pokemon League: Mr. Charles Goodshow, is personally coming to the town of Pallet to tell Ash all about the letter he received from Tracey. They were expecting Mr. Goodshow any day now, and Ash was growing more and more anxious by the hour. The game of tag was now over and all the pokemon, save for Pikachu, scattered throughout the ranch again, doing their own thing.

Ash, Misty, Delia, Professor Oak and Pikachu were now sitting in the living room-area of the lab. Delia had made them a pot of nice herbal tea and Pikachu had some special pokemon food to munch down on.

"Mmm." Professor Oak exclaimed as he took a sip of his tea. "This is splendid, Delia." He complimented Delia as he looked at her, referring to his cup of tea.

"Yeah, Mrs. K." Misty agreed from where she sat on the couch. "This tea is great!" she informed Delia. Ash was perched on the other side, with Pikachu in the middle of the two of them, nibbling on a pebble of pokemon food.

"Why thanks, you two." Delia politely said as she smiled at Professor Oak and then at Misty. She then noticed Ash, who was currently staring off into the distance and impatiently tapping his foot on the carpet. "Ash, sweety?" she asked.

"Huh?" Ash exclaimed as he turned to face his mother. "Uh, yeah, Mom?" he asked as he curiously looked at her in expectance.

"Are you okay, hunny?" Delia asked as she frowned at Ash. "You seem very quiet." She remarked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Mom." Ash answered before he started tapping his foot on the carpet again. "I'm just excited, that's all!" he added with an excited fist-pump.

"Yeah," Misty started. "Mr. Goodshow could be here any second now, eh, Ash?" she said as she knowingly smirked at Ash.

"Yeah!" Ash enthusiastically agreed. "And I can't wait!" he excitedly added.

"Well Ash," Professor Oak started. "You must be dying to know what all of this is about?" he inquired.

"You bet I am, Professor Oak!" Ash said as he stood up off of the couch in his excitement.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed as he stood on the couch and did an excited paw-pump.

Misty sighed at Ash and Pikachu's antics. "You two will never change." She remarked. "When are you going to grow up?" she added as she gave the two of them a sceptical look.

"Please, Misty." Ash said as he crossed his arms and turned away from Misty. "You're just jealous because you aren't as important as I am." He stated as he smirked over his shoulder at the red-head.

"What?" Misty said as she glared at Ash. "I'll have you know that I'm the Cerulean City Gym Leader!" she reminded the pokemon Trainer with a scowl on her face.

"But you didn't receive an official letter from the Pokemon League." Ash informed her as he swung his finger from side-to-side in front of the red-head's face.

Misty glared at Ash's finger, before she lashed out and tried to bite down on his poor limb with a growl. But Ash had anticipated such a move from the red-head and had quickly pulled his finger out of her reach.

"Settle down, you two." Professor Oak apprehended Ash and Misty. "We don't want you breaking anything." He added as he took another sip of his tea.

Ash sat down and gave Misty a look, which the red-head recuperated. "Sorry." The two of them simultaneously apologised to each other and to Professor Oak.

"There." Delia stated. "Now was that so hard?" she asked as she sweetly smiled at the two of them.

Before Ash and Misty could start their respective protests; the sound of the doorbell emulated throughout the building, signalling that someone was at the front door.

"OH BOY!" Ash suddenly exploded as he jumped up off of the couch.

"WAAAH!" Misty, Delia and Professor Oak exclaimed simultaneously at the sudden noise, before all three of them fell backwards off their respective seats.

"ASH!" Misty furiously yelled as she sat up on the carpet, her hand resting on her chest. "You scared the living daylights out of me! Don't do that!" she scowled as she glared at where Ash was standing, or where she thought he was standing…

Ash, in his pure excitement, was already busy walking through the doorway on the other side of the room when Misty started talking. "Not now, Misty!" he silenced the red-head. "That's gotta be Mr. Goodshow!" he excitedly stated before he darted through the doorway towards the front door of the Lab.

Misty, Delia, Pikachu and Professor Oak all looked after the running Ash, before they all sighed in exasperation…

'_Come on, come on!'_ is what went through Ash's mind as he raced to the front door. The hour had finally come, he would finally find out what's going on! He stopped in front of the door to catch his breath. He then finally put his hand on the doorknob. "Hey, Mr.-"he started, until he looked up, that is.

"Who is it, Ash?" Misty asked as she, Delia, Professor Oak and Pikachu stepped up behind Ash.

"Is it Mr. Goodshow?" Delia inquired.

"Oh, it's only you…" Ash finally said, albeit a little disappointed, before he stepped out of the doorway, revealing…

"Tracey?" Professor Oak uncertainly exclaimed.

"Uhm…hello?" Tracey uncertainly waved as he half-heartedly smiled, not sure if he was intruding because of the way Ash reacted.

Yes, it was Tracey Sketchit and not Mr. Goodshow who stood in the front door of the Lab, much to the surprise of everyone, save for Ash, who was deeply disappointed.

"Awh man…" Ash whined. "It's just Tracey…great." He grumpily mumbled, before he was knocked down onto the ground by a powerful fist from behind. "Uhhhh…" he exclaimed in pain and dizziness as he got back up again.

"Ash Ketchum!" Delia yelled. "Have I taught you no manners!?" she scowled as she glared at Ash. "That was very rude! Now, apologise immediately!" she ordered as she crossed her arms over her chest, impatiently waiting.

"Sorry…" Ash mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed because of his mother apprehending him in front of everyone.

However, he wasn't standing there for long after that, because…

"TRACEY!?" Misty yelled as she jumped forward and shoulder-charged Ash out of the way in the process.

"Hey," Ash started with a glare. "What're you doi-"

"Tracey, what're you doing here?" Misty continued, interrupting and ignoring Ash's protests.

"Well, uh…I came back to the Lab, of course…" Tracey uncertainly said as he carefully looked at everyone in front of him, wondering what the heck is going on.

"But what about the Gym?" Misty fearfully asked. "You left it under my three bumbling sisters' care!?" She frantically asked as she stared at the pokemon Watcher in disbelief. Images of the Cerulean Gym in flames, her Water-type pokemon grilled into a nice seafood platter with a bit of tartar sauce on the side and her three sisters shrugging their shoulders in innocence, signalling that they couldn't help it, all flooded her mind. "WAAAAAAH!" she suddenly screamed in horror, causing everyone around her to jump back out of surprise.

"Misty, what the heck!?" Ash irritatedly asked as he glared at the red-head, rubbing his now-aching ears.

"Tracey!" Misty shrieked. "Why did you leave the Gym in Daisy, Lily and Violet's care? Do you realise what you've done!?" she demanded as she glared at Tracey, or rather where she thought Tracey was standing.

Tracey, on the other hand, was now situated in the corner of the room. He was huddled up in a ball with a blue-ish aura around him.

"Uh, Tracey?" Ash inquired as he frowned at Tracey and his weird behaviour.

"Those…names…" Tracey stated from his blue-ish corner.

"Uh, this all seems so familiar…" Ash stated as he stared at Tracey, his brow lifted in confusion.

"You can say that again…" Misty replied as she gave Tracey an amused look.

"Those…names…" Tracey repeated as he huddled tighter in the corner.

All of the room's occupants, save for Tracey, were now sweat-dropping at the pokemon Watcher's antics.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu exclaimed as he sighed and shook his head in exasperation.

"So uh," Misty uncomfortably started. "What happened?" she asked the pokemon Watcher, curious to know if the Cerulean Gym was still standing.

"So much…attitude…for such…beautiful girls…" Tracey mumbled from his blue-ish corner.

**[FLASHBACK…]**

"_Lily!" Tracey yelled from the pool room, covered in dirt marks and sweat, with a pool-cleaning net in his hands._

"_Like, what!?" the pokemon Watcher heard the voice of Lily, the second youngest of the Waterflower sisters, booming through the building._

_Tracey grunted before he put the pool net down next to the pool. He then proceeded to walk out of the pool room and started venturing through the building, in search of Lily. "Lily!" he called out again as he walked through the living room. "Where are you!?" he yelled._

"_I'm, like, here!" he heard Lily's voice calling out to his right._

_He walked in the direction from which he heard Lily's voice, which lead him outside behind the building._

"_Lily!" he called out again as he started walking around the corner. "Where are y- he started again, before he caught sight of Lily…_

_She was lying face-down on her stomach on a beach chair. Tracey presumably figured that she was working on her tan, a magnificent sight already. But that wasn't what caught the pokemon Watcher's attention, nor the fact that Lily was wearing a two-piece bikini. What caught his attention the most, was the fact that Lily's bikini bra was untied and spread out underneath her, leaving Tracey staring at her bare back._

"_Uh…" Tracey mumbled out as he gawked at Lily, his eyes wide and round._

"_Hmm?" Lily exclaimed as she looked up from her pillow. "Oh, Tracey." She stated. "What do you, like, want!?" she demanded as she glared at the pokemon Watcher, not happy at being yelled at._

"_I uh…I…I…" Tracey stuttered as his face started getting redder and redder. After taking a deep breath; he tried again. "T-the pool." He stated. "You have to clean t-the p-pool…" he mumbled, trying to keep his gaze as far away from Lily as possible. "It's y-your turn today…" he added._

"_Me? Like, clean the pool?" Lily repeated in disbelief._

_Tracey nodded and stole a glance at Lily. "Y-yeah…" he mumbled before quickly diverting his eyes to the now-very-interesting sky._

_Lily gave Tracey a long look before she spoke again. "But Tracey," she started in a childish manner. "I can't clean the pool NOW." She stated. "I have to stay here and perfect my tan first!" she informed the pokemon Watcher as she gestured to her supermodel-like body._

_Tracey sighed at the second-youngest Waterflower's response. "Lily, it's your turn. Daisy and Violet did their shifts yesterday and the day before that!" he scowled._

"_Oh come on, Tracey." Lily said in a whining voice. "Please let me finish my tan?" she said as she pouted at Tracey with big puppy-ish eyes._

"_I…uh…" Tracey stuttered as he looked at Lily's pleading face. "N-no." he stated after turning his gaze back to the sky. "You have to do it now." He ordered._

"_Come on," Lily started again. "Please, Tracey?" she pleaded before she started smirking at the pokemon Watcher. She then slowly started lifting her upper body off of the chair, leaving her bikini bra behind and giving Tracey a slight view. It wasn't all that revealing. It was more of a teasing preview, which certainly made an impact on Tracey…_

_The pokemon Watcher was now gawking at Lily's slightly-revealed chest area, his eyes as big as dinner plates and his face redder than a tomato. "Uhhh…uhhh…" he exclaimed, unable to form words as he continued to openly stare at her._

"_Pleeeease…" Lily kept on going with puppy-like eyes before she lifted herself a bit more, revealing a tiny little bit more cleavage and the general form of her 'assets' to the pokemon Watcher._

_Tracey's eyes grew even wider as his view improved slightly. Being the 16-year old teenager he was; the sight of Lily slightly exposing herself was a hormonal dream come true for the pokemon Watcher. "I…uh…" he once again stuttered out as he stared at Lily. "O-okay, sure. I'll clean the pool, then. N-no problem!" he yelled as he ran away from where she was lying on the chair, desperate to get away as soon as possible and avoid any further embarrassing encounters with the second youngest Waterflower sister. Teenager or not; stuff like this was very, very, VERY embarrassing._

_Lily simply stared after Tracey as he hastily retreated around the corner and presumably back into the Gym, hopefully to do her chores. She then triumphantly grinned from ear-to-ear as she made peace-sign with her right hand. "Boys will be, like, boys…" she stated before laying herself back down again, continuing her tanning session. It wasn't her fault she was blessed with a stupendous body, was it? "Guess I, like, inherited Misty's share of beauty too…" she remarked before burying her face into the towel she set down for that exact purpose…_

_Tracey sighed as he pulled the net through the water, albeit very sulkily. He was currently cleaning the pool of the Cerulean Gym very depressingly. "How did this become my job again?" he asked himself as he continued dragging the net through the water. Images of Lily's boobs flashing in front of the pokemon Watcher flooded his mind, causing him to violently shake his head from side-to-side. "Stupid Lily…" he muttered, his face bright red out of embarrassment as he thought about the unfortunate event. He then sighed and continued cleaning the pool._

"_Lily!" he heard someone call from the hallway to his right._

"_Huh?" he exclaimed as he turned towards the doorway, where the source of the voice identified itself as none other than Daisy._

"_Like, where are you, little sis?" he heard Violet calling out as she appeared behind Daisy in the doorway._

"_Tracey?" Daisy asked after she took notice of the room's only-previous occupant: Tracey. "Like, what're you doing in here?" she asked as she frowned at the pokemon Watcher out of curiosity._

"_Uhm, cleaning the pool?" Tracey stated as he held the net in the air, as if it wasn't obvious what he was doing there._

"_Cleaning the pool?" Daisy repeated as she continued frowning at Tracey. "Look, I've, like, fed all the pokemon that lives here in the Gym." She informed the pokemon Watcher._

"_And I've, like, paid all of the Gym's bills." Violet added. "You know, like electricity, water and, like, food!" she elaborated._

"_Wasn't Lily, like, supposed to clean the pool?" Daisy asked as she lifted her brow at Tracey._

"_Well, y-yeah, she was-"Tracey nervously started._

"_Then what are YOU doing here?" Daisy interrupted him in mid-sentence._

"_Yeah, like, why isn't LILY cleaning the pool?" Violet demanded as the two sisters impatiently glared at the pokemon Watcher._

"_Yeah, Tracey." Daisy added. "Like, where is she by the way?" she added as she impatiently looked at the pokemon Watcher._

"_I…uh…" Tracey nervously started as Daisy and Violet started closing in on him. He then sighed in defeat. "Alright…" he started his explanation._

_The next ten minutes was spent with Tracey informing Daisy and Violet of his encounter with Lily outside, including explaining their sister's flirtatious ways of convincing him to do her part of the Gym's chores for the day, maintaining a deep red blush on his face through the entire explanation._

"_Oh." Daisy plainly stated as she slightly glared at Tracey after he finished his story. "So, you let Violet and me work the whole day, but, like, give Lily slack just because she, like, tried to flirt her way out of it?" she clarified as her glare intensified on the pokemon Watcher._

"_Well…yeah…" Tracey slowly answered. "But I couldn't help it!" he quickly added to strengthen his defence in the situation. "I didn't know what else to do…so I chickened out…" he added as his entire face turned red out of embarrassment._

"_Ohhhh, that Lily!" Daisy angrily stated as she clenched her fists in front of her out of anger with a scowl on her face. "She didn't even do a single one of her chores, while me and Violet did, like, all of ours!" she yelled. "She thinks that she can get out of, like, every little thing that involves her getting her hands dirty," she ranted on. "By just, like, shaking these!" she exclaimed as she put her hands on her own boobs and wiggled her upper body to emphasize them._

_Tracey gawked at Daisy as she performed her little 'wiggling scene'. His face then turned redder than a tomato before he turned his attention back to cleaning the pool at a more rigorous pace than ever before, whilst whistling a hasty tune._

"_Tracey!" Daisy angrily stated. "Like, stop that!" she ordered as she irritatedly glared at Tracey. She then walked over to the pokemon Watcher and yanked the net out of his hands._

"_W-what're you doing?" Tracey stuttered out as he looked at Daisy in surprise._

"_Like, to set things right!" Daisy answered before she turned on her heels and started walking away, with the net in-hand._

"_Where're you going now?" Tracey asked as he watched Daisy walk away from him with the net._

"_I'm going to, like, get Lily over here to do her chores!" Daisy yelled as she looked back over her shoulder at Tracey. She then disappeared through the doorway, probably en route towards Lily._

_Violet stared after her older sister before she turned to face Tracey and nonchalantly shrugged at the pokemon Watcher._

_Tracey sighed. "This can't end well…" he remarked more to himself than anyone else._

"_Nope." Violet agreed. "It, like, can't." she agreed as she and Tracey waited for the outcome of Daisy's little 'visit' to Lily…_

_A little while later, Tracey, Violet and Daisy were all sitting on one of the stands in the pool room. Lily, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky…_

"_Daisy, can't I finish the chores, like, later?" Lily moaned as she looked up at Daisy from where she was currently standing, which was next to the pool with the cleaning net in her hands._

"_No!" Daisy harshly yelled back from where she was sitting next to Violet. "You have to finish them, like, NOW! Because you're not going anywhere before their done…" she informed Lily matter-of-factly._

"_Yeah, little sister." Violet agreed from next to Daisy. "We did our part, so you have to, like, do yours." She informed Lily._

_Yes, Lily was finally cleaning the pool, a chore which was initially hers and that had to be finished quite some time ago. After Daisy found out about her second youngest sister's flirtatious seduction of Tracey; she angrily forced Lily to get dressed properly and straight into the building towards the pool, where her tasks awaited her. And she wasn't happy with this turn of events AT ALL._

_Lily groaned as she pulled the net through the pool once more. This didn't turn out to be her day after all. She looked up to where her two sisters; Daisy and Violet, sat along with Tracey. She glared sharply at her two sisters, before she laid her eyes on Tracey. 'Of course!' she thought as a smirk slowly started making its way onto her face. "Oh, Tracey," she started in a sweet singing voice._

_Tracey perked up and looked down at Lily. "Uhm, yeah?" he uncertainly exclaimed._

"_Won't you be so kind as to, like, help me clean this big, gigantic pool?" Lily as she looked at Tracey with big, puppy-dog eyes and puffed up, pouty lips._

"_Uh…" Tracey exclaimed as a blush started forming on his face. "S-sur-"he started as he got up onto his feet, ready to blindly assist Lily._

"_Oh no you don't!" Daisy interrupted Tracey as she grabbed his collar and yanked him back down onto his seat by it. "Lily!" she yelled as she turned her attention from the pokemon Watcher to Lily. "You're going to, like, clean that pool all by yourself, missy!" she informed her second youngest sister. "And as I said before: You're not going anywhere until you, like, finish all of your chores!" she reminded her._

"_Fine…like, whatever, Daisy…" Lily mumbled as she begrudgingly started pulling the net through the pool again._

"_And you!" Daisy started again as she turned her anger towards Tracey, who fearfully cowered under her wrath in response. "You better start to, like, man-up, buster!" she informed the pokemon Watcher as she picked him up by his collar. "Because I will not allow you to favour Lily above us again!" she viciously exclaimed. "Do I make myself, like, clear?" she venomously asked as she gave Tracey an intense glare._

"_C-Crystal…" Tracey managed to stutter out before he nervously started giggling._

"_Good." Daisy firmly stated before she dropped Tracey to the ground and sat back down next to Violet._

_Tracey got back up onto his feet and pluffed down in his seat next to Violet. "Why me?" he groaned as he buried his face in his hands, depressed about his current predicament…_

"_Lily! Violet! Daisy!" Tracey yelled through the hallway as he repeatedly banged on Daisy's door. "Wake up!" he yelled again._

"_Like, what the heck, Tracey!?" Lily yelled from behind the closed door of the room adjacent to Daisy's._

"_What's your, like, problem!?" Daisy yelled as she plucked the door open, causing Tracey to jump back a few feet out of surprise. "Why are you yelling?" she demanded as she peeked out from behind the door, angrily glaring at the pokemon Watcher for his rude awakening of the three of them._

"_What's with all the, like, noise?" Violet sleepily mumbled as she peeked out of her room into the hallway._

"_It's time to get up!" Tracey announced as he turned to Violet. "You guys have chores that need to be done!" he added._

"_It's, like, six o'clock in the morning, Tracey!" Lily informed Tracey as she looked out into the hall from behind her door. "We need to sleep!" she added._

"_Yeah," Daisy agreed. "We usually wake up at, like, eight o'clock at the earliest!" she informed Tracey as an irritated glare made its way onto her face._

"_And if my calculations are correct," Violet started before she gave a large yawn. "That's still, like, two hours of sleep!" she informed the pokemon Watcher._

"_Well, yeah. Normally it would have been like that." Tracey agreed with a nod of his head. "But the pokemon have to be fed, and they also need their morning exercise!" he added._

"_Like, since when does all of this happen?" Daisy inquired. "Violet, did you know about this?" she asked as she glanced over to Violet's door, but her younger sister was not there anymore. The door was instead closed again. "Violet?" she repeated, but there was still no answer. "Lily, did you see Vio-"she started again as she turned towards Lily's room, but her second youngest sister was also nowhere to be found and her door closed shut. "I guess they're, like, sleeping again…" she figured as a sweat drop formed on the back of her head. "I think I'm gonna, like, hit the sack again too." She announced as she gave off a rather large yawn before she also started closing her door._

"_Wait!" Tracey interrupted Daisy's attempt at closing her door by shoving his foot in front of it. "You guys can't go to sleep again!" he informed her. "The three of you have got chores to do!" he added._

"_Tracey, I'll repeat myself." Daisy said as she opened the door again. "Since when does all of these activities, like, occur in the morning? I have no awareness of it!" she admitted to the pokemon Watcher along with a shrug of her shoulders._

"_But still," Tracey started. "They're chores and they have to be performed each day. It's like a routine." He explained to Daisy._

"_But, I never knew these chores, like, existed!" Daisy protested. "And I know that Violet and Lily knew about it either." She explained. "So, if I didn't do it, and neither Violet nor Lily did it, then who…like…did…it…" she slowed down as realisation hit her. "Misty…" she muttered out._

"_Yep." Tracey nodded. "She did these chores every single morning when she was still here way back before she started traveling with Ash and Brock, and a while ago when they were here." He explained. "She even wrote it down for me before she and Ash left." He added as he flashed Daisy a list of all the chores that Misty wrote down for her three sisters to do daily._

_Daisy stared at the list as a guilty expression started making its way onto her face. Is this what she, Violet and Lily made their little sister go through each day? Letting her do stacks of chores, paper work and then endure continuous verbal abuse from the three of them? She bit her bottom lip slightly as she sadly looked down. They were doing this because SHE wanted Misty to go with Ash and continue her journey. Then why was she acting as if all of this responsibility wasn't her problem? This was going to have to change._

"_Daisy? Hello?" Tracey exclaimed as he waved his hand in front of Daisy's face._

"_Okay, we'll, like, do it!" Daisy informed Tracey._

"_Okay," Tracey started as he turned to Lily's door. "Let me just wake your sisters up…" he said as he started turning the doorknob._

"_WAIT!" Daisy yelled as she slapped Tracey's hand off of the doorknob and moved in between him and the door. "Uhm, I think I should wake Lily and Violet up…" she stated._

"_Why?" Tracey asked as he frowned at Daisy. "What's the difference between me and you waking them up?" he further asked._

"_Well, you see…" Daisy trailed off. "Violet and Lily tend to, like, sleep very comfortable…" she explained._

"_So?" Tracey asked as he gave Daisy a confused look. "What's that got to do with me waking them up?" he quizzically asked._

"_Well…" Daisy awkwardly trailed off._

"_Well?" Tracey repeated. "What is it, Daisy?" he asked as he lifted his brow at the oldest Waterflower sister._

_Daisy sighed in exasperation. She then proceeded to walk closer to Tracey and started explaining the situation in his right ear._

_Tracey intently listened before his face started getting redder and redder as Daisy explained the situation to him. "Do they really sleep in that!?" he suddenly yelled out in embarrassment._

_Daisy immediately clamped her hand over Tracey's mouth. "Will you, like, hush up?" she hissed as she glared at the pokemon Watcher. "So, you see, that's why I think that it would be better if I woke them up." She explained. "It'll keep you from walking into anymore, like, awkward situations." She added with a shrug of her shoulders._

"_I agree!" he announced, his face redder than a tomato, before he hastily sped down the hall, trying to get as far away as possible. The last thing he needed now was another 'Lily-confrontation'._

_Daisy watched Tracey disappear through the doorway down the hall. "Uhm…okay?" she exclaimed as a sweat drop formed on her forehead. "Well, I guess I've got to get dressed and then wake Violet and Lily up…" she figured as she turned to her room. "Misty better be, like, having the time of her life out there…" she mumbled as she closed her door after she walked into her room…_

"_I'm, like, done!" Lily announced as she got back up onto her feet next to the pool, with a brush in hand. "You can go now, Dewgong." She informed Dewgong, whom was floating in the pool in front of her._

"_Dewgong Gong!" Dewgong exclaimed before diving beneath the water._

"_Very good, Lily!" Tracey complimented._

_It has been about four days since the morning that Tracey tried waking the three sisters up, four days since Daisy's little wakeup call and her decision to do the Gym's chores along with her two sisters. They have definitely improved and were now doing everything themselves around the Gym._

"_Well," Tracey started once Daisy, Violet and Lily stood in front of him, all three finished with their various chores. "I'm proud to say that the three of you have passed Gym-leading 101!" he announced…_

**[…]**

"And now I'm here." Tracey finished the story.

Misty exasperatedly sighed. "Yep, that sounds like my sisters alright…" she remarked. "And I guess you were their latest victim." She added as she turned to Tracey.

Everyone then started laughing at the unfortunate situations Tracey recently found himself in at the Cerulean Gym.

"Hey," Ash suddenly spoke up. "Listening to this story has made me kind of hungry…" he announced.

Everyone sighed at Ash's one-track mind.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu exclaimed as he shook his head from side to side in exasperation.

"Well, how about I make all of us some lunch then?" Delia suggested from where she was sitting.

Everyone cheered at her suggestion, with Ash leading from the front in great excitement.

"Okay, I'll get started right away." Delia stated before standing up and disappearing through the doorway, presumably on her way to the kitchen.

"Hey, why don't we feed all the pokemon in the ranch while we wait?" Tracey suggested. "I bet they're all pretty hungry as well." He added.

"Good call, Tracey." Professor Oak complimented. "Boy, were they hard to feed for an old man such as myself." He added with an embarrassed laugh while scratching the back of his head.

"Don't worry, Professor Oak!" Ash exclaimed. "We'll help you out, right guys?" he stated as he gestured towards himself, Misty and Pikachu.

"Right!" Misty stated.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

"I guess you missed having me around for all those chores, eh, Professor Oak?" Tracey stated as he knowingly nudged Professor Oak in the ribs.

"Uh, well you see…" Professor Oak awkwardly started with a nervous laugh while scratching the back of his head again. "Yes. I did." He finally exclaimed. "I have grown accustomed to ordering you around and letting you do the chores around here. I have grown lazy over these past couple of months with you around here." He shamefully admitted.

"Wait." Tracey stated. "You make me sound more like a servant than an aid?" he exclaimed.

"Servant, aid. What's the difference?" Professor Oak nonchalantly stated.

Professor Oak's last statement caused Tracey to stare at him in disbelief with his mouth hanging wide open in shock.

"Tracey; you're Professor Oak's slave!" Ash remarked with a snicker.

"Wow, Ash, did you figure that out all by yourself?" Misty sarcastically asked as she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Tracey stared at Professor Oak for a little while longer, before he sighed in defeat. "I guess I kind of am his slave…" he admitted.

"Now, let's go feed those pokemon!" Professor Oak excitedly exclaimed, to which Ash and Pikachu responded by cheering in approval. "And by 'we'; I actually mean the four of you," he said as he pointed towards Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Tracey.

"Hey wait!" Ash exclaimed. "That's unfair!" he informed Professor Oak with a scowl on his face. "How come we've got to do all the work?" he demanded.

"It's simple, Ash." Professor Oak started. "While the four of you are feeding the pokemon, I will be helping your mother with lunch. So the sooner you finish, the sooner we eat." He explained to Ash.

"Alright!" Ash cheered with an excited fist pump, the only one that is naïve enough to actually believe Professor Oak's statement. "Come on, guys!" he said as he grabbed both Misty and Tracey by their hands, with Pikachu already situated on his shoulder. "Let's go feed those pokemon!" he declared before he sped away, with his three companions in tow.

Professor oak watched the three children and Pikachu disappear around the corner. "Ash will be Ash." He stated with a victorious peace sign and triumphant grin. "Now, let's go see what Delia is cooking." He stated before he started walking the opposite direction from where Ash and co. just sped off to…

Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Tracey were busy feeding the pokemon in the meantime. Since the ranch was divided into various parts and habitats; they had to split up to make sure that all of the pokemon got their lunch on time.

"There," Ash started as he got back up onto his feet. "All done." He declared as he dusted his hands off against each other.

He and Pikachu were currently feeding the pokemon inhabiting the grassland area of the ranch, while Misty was feeding the pokemon living close to the water (no surprise there.), and Tracey was covering the remaining parts of the ranch, seeing as he did this on a daily basis and was used to the workload.

All the pokemon cheered in gratitude at the food provided to them by Ash and Pikachu before they started digging in.

"It was nothing, you guys." Ash replied to the cheering as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. His thoughts were soon interrupted though, by a splendid aroma that filled the air. "Mmmm," he exclaimed as he sniffed in the air. "What's that?" he asked out loud as he started moving towards the source of the heavenly smell. His nose soon led him and Pikachu straight to Professor Oak and his mother, who were busy decking a table outside with all sorts of delicious food and various drinks.

"Oh," Delia exclaimed after she noticed Ash approaching the table. "Hello there, Sweety." She greeted her son with a polite smile.

"Hey…" Ash mumbled back, his attention caught by the feast set out in front of him. "Mmmm…" he exclaimed as his mouth started watering in anticipation.

"Wow, that smells great!" he heard the all-too-familiar voice of Misty stating from behind him.

"You got that right." Tracey added as he and Misty stopped next to Ash, presumably finished with feeding the pokemon.

"You guys are just in time for lunch!" Delia informed the two of them as she set out the plates.

"Alright!" Ash cheered. "Let's dig in!" he announced as he made a dash for the pile of sandwiches situated on the left-hand side of the table, intent on finishing the entire plate. But he was stopped short of his destination by a hand halting him.

"Hold it right there, mister!" the owner of the hand, his mother, ordered. "Have I taught you no manners!?" she angrily asked her son. "Ladies first!" she informed him.

"But Mom!" Ash started whining, but seeing his mother's facial expression harden, he submitted with a sigh. He then turned to Misty. "Sorry, Misty." He apologised. "You can go first." He resentfully informed her as he stepped out of the way.

This caused Delia's eyes to widen slightly in surprise. Did her son, Ash Ketchum, whom was always in front of the line when it came to pokemon and food, and rarely showed manners concerning those two things, just apologise to Misty and allow her to dish up first?

"Thanks, Ash." Misty thanked Ash as she stepped forward, silently giving his hand a soft squeeze on the way, which caused Ash to slightly blush at the redhead's show of affection.

Everyone got their plates filled up with Delia's delicious lunch and were soon sitting around the table. Pikachu sat next to the group of humans on the ground with a bowl of pokemon food in front of him.

"Alright, everyone;" Delia started. "Dig in!" she announced, to which everyone responded to with cheers of approval.

What filled the area after that was the clinging of cutlery on plates and the sound of Ash devouring his food at an inhuman pace, while the others calmly ate their respective meals in silence…

"Ah!" Ash exclaimed after finishing his third plate. "That hit the spot, eh, Pikachu?" he stated as he turned to Pikachu.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with Ash, his bowl also empty.

"Thanks a lot, Mom!" Ash thanked his mother as he turned back to face her.

"Yeah, thanks a lot!" Misty, Tracey and Professor Oak all simultaneously thanked Delia for the delicious meal.

"It was my pleasure!" Delia responded with her usual happy demeanour.

All of the dirty dishes were taken back to the kitchen where Delia cleaned them all, after which everyone retired to the lounge area of Professor Oak's lab where they were currently enjoying some lemonade. The sun was starting to set in the distance as the day came to a close. It was then that the group of humans, along with Pikachu, heard the bell of the front door ring once more.

"Oh boy!" Ash loudly exclaimed as he hastily put his glass down on the table and jumped onto his feet before he sped off towards the front door.

The other humans present quickly put down their respective glasses and hastily followed Ash, accompanied by Pikachu.

"Come on, come on." Ash exclaimed as he ran through the various corridors. He finally got to the front door and like before, he stopped first to catch his breath, and then he plucked the door open.

"Why, hello there, Ash. What coincidence it is meeting you here." A rather unfamiliar voice greeted Ash. It was the voice of none other than the president of the Pokemon League: Mister Charles Goodshow!

Ash stared blankly at Mr. Goodshow for a few moments, before he erupted in a loud cheer. "Alright!" he exclaimed with an emphatic fist pump.

"What is it, Ash!?" he heard Misty calling out from behind him.

He turned around and saw his mother, Pikachu, Misty, Tracey and Professor Oak all standing behind him. "You guys!" he excitedly started. "Mister Goodshow is finally here!" he declared as he stepped out of the way, revealing Mister Goodshow to the other occupants of the building.

"Hello there, everyone." Mister Goodshow politely greeted along with a wave of his hand.

"Hello, Charles!" Professor Oak greeted.

"Hey!" Misty, Delia and Tracey all greeted simultaneously.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted.

"Please, come in, Charles." Professor Oak invited Mister Goodshow in. "How are you?" he asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Very good, very good." Mister Goodshow answered. "And yourself, Samuel?" he asked.

"Oh, I can't complain." Professor Oak responded.

Ash watched the conversation between the two, getting more annoyed by and anxious by the second.

"I've been doing some new research on interaction between pokemon and humans which I think could really-"Professor Oak started.

"Excuse me, Mister Goodshow!" Ash interrupted Professor Oak and Mister Goodshow's conversation. "What is the letter and all of this about?" he curiously asked the old man. "Please tell me? Please?" he begged.

Mister Goodshow simply laughed at Ash's behaviour for a few moments. "Oh Ash, still as vigilante as ever, I see." He remarked after he finished laughing.

"Vigilante?" Ash repeated with a confused look on his face. "Wait, never mind that!" he said as he quickly shook his head. "So, what is it about?" he asked again.

Mister Goodshow laughed again. "Calm down, son." He said as he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. "Here," he said as he handed the envelope to Ash. "This will explain everything. Not that there is much to explain, actually." He remarked as he put his finger on his chin in thought.

Ash hurriedly ripped the top of the envelope off and pulled out its contents: Another letter. He tossed the empty envelope aside, unfolded the letter and then started reading its contents.

It was quiet for a few moments as Ash read the letter. He looked up after a while, straight at Mister Goodshow with a confused frown on his face.

"Give me that!" Misty yelled as she took the letter out of Ash's hand. "Dear Ash Ketchum, pokemon Trainer from Pallet Town." She started reading the contents out loud. "We hereby wish to inform you that your title as the Champion of the Orange League, located in the Orange archipelago, has been challenged!"

**As I said, really nothing happening in this chapter.**

**As for the letter, not that big of a surprise to you guys, eh? I bet most of you are pretty irritated by this lame turn of events. But I assure you, this is just the starting block. There is still a lot of action to come!**

**Please don't stop reading this story because of all of this build-up to this bland discovery.**

**Please review, please! Reviews keep me going, so type, type, type!**

**I'll try to write as quickly as possible. I promise!**

**Until next time!**

**Cheers.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Well, here's another chapter…**

**Apologies for taking so long to update, but university really takes up a lot of my time. So, it takes me a while to get a chapter done.**

**Anyway, regarding the turn of events in the story. Yes, it was not a creative plotline, but it can be seen as the starting blocks of something bigger.**

**So, it's simple: If you don't like it, don't read it. I'm not here to win a popularity contest. I'm here to write and express myself.**

**Thanks for all the reviews.**

**Enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 23: Old-new beginning:**

'_Dear Ash Ketchum, pokemon Trainer from Pallet Town:_

_We hereby wish to inform you that your title as the Champion of the Orange League, located in the Orange archipelago, has been challenged.'_

The contents of the letter ringed through everyone's ears after Misty read it out loud, save for Mr. Goodshow, of course.

Misty looked up from the letter and turned to Ash, a frown on her face.

"Well," Professor Oak spoke up. "This sure is an unexpected turn of events, eh, Ash?" he stated as he too turned to Ash, his hand under his chin.

Ash, on the other hand, didn't pay attention to neither Misty nor Professor Oak. He was simply staring at Mr. Goodshow, whom was standing in front of the group, which also included Delia, Tracey and Pikachu.

"M-my title?" Ash repeated as he gave Mr. Goodshow a very confused look.

"Yes, Ash." Mr. Goodshow replied with a nod of his head. "Your title as the Orange League Champion." The little old man with the long beard elaborated. "It has been challenged." He added.

"But," Ash started, his eyes still full of confusion. "Ho-"

"Now Ash, Sweety." Delia interrupted her son as she stepped in between Ash and Mr. Goodshow. "I'm sure that Mr. Goodshow is probably very tired from his journey." She stated. "Isn't that right, Mr. Goodshow?" she asked as she turned to the President and gave him a polite smile.

"Well, I am a bit worn out, now that you mention it…" Mr. Goodshow replied.

"Hey," Delia suddenly exclaimed. "I have an idea!" she stated. "Why don't we all head over to the Pallet House. That way Mr. Goodshow can have a proper meal and rest up." She suggested.

"That's a great idea, miss!" Mr. Goodshow exclaimed. "Ash," he started as he turned to face Ash. "I'm sure that you have a couple of questions you would like to ask me." He stated, to which Ash replied by vigorously nodding.

"Then let's all head on down to the Pallet House, where Mr. Goodshow can relax, and Ash can ask his questions." Delia summarised.

Everyone agreed to Delia's proposal and all of them then exited Professor Oak's lab.

"Mr. Goodshow," Delia started. "I hope you're okay with walking all the way into town?" she inquired, a small worried frown forming on her face.

"Of course not!" Mr. Goodshow enthusiastically answered. "Although there is a complementary limousine waiting at the inn…" he trailed off.

"A LIMOUSINE?" Ash and Misty simultaneously stated out loud.

"Being famous sure has its perks, doesn't it, Charles?" Professor Oak stated with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Yes, of course!" Mr. Goodshow agreed. "But I prefer the normal way of life to be quite honest with you, Samuel." He added before the group started walking, save for Ash…

"Wow…" he exclaimed in awe. "A limousine…it would sure be fun to ride through Pallet Town in one of those…" he trailed off as images of a limousine riding through town with him waving at the masses who have gathered in the streets. "Yeah…" he dazily mumbled as he waved to the masses in his imagination.

"Ash?" he heard a voice call out to him, which brought him back to reality.

"Huh?" he exclaimed as he looked in front of him to find the source of the voice: Misty.

"Ash, are you okay?" Misty asked as she raised her brow sceptically at Ash.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Ash assured Misty; feeling a bit irritated because of his fantasy being interrupted. "Why?" he added as he frowned at the red-head.

"Well," Misty started. "You kind of fell behind…"she remarked as she stepped out of the way for Ash to see that the rest of the group had continued walking and were quite a bit in front of him.

"I noticed you weren't next to me anymore…" Misty stated as a small blush made its way onto her cheeks. "So, I saw you standing all the way back here, and came to fetch you." She finished the story with a sweet smile.

"Thanks, Misty." Ash said as he gratefully smiled at Misty in front of him.

"Sure thing." Misty replied. "Now come on," she said as she turned around towards the rest of the group. "Let's go get some dinner and find out what's going for what." She stated as she slowly started moving, waiting for Ash to follow.

"Right." Ash replied as he walked after Misty, before the two of them started jogging lightly after the rest of the group…

"Alright, everyone;" Delia started as she put a bowl down on the table. "Dig in!" she exclaimed.

"Thanks a lot!" the occupants of the table; Ash, Misty, Tracey, Professor Oak and Mr. Goodshow, all simultaneously exclaimed in gratitude.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed from his chair in between Ash and Misty, thanking Delia for his bowl of Poke-chow.

The table which the group sat around was decorated with all kinds of delicious food for them to enjoy. Delia had taken the liberty to make the food for the group herself to ensure that everything was perfect.

"Mmmm." Mr. Goodshow exclaimed after he neatly slurped up some noodles. "This food tastes exquisite!" he remarked as he turned to Delia. "A successful restaurant, excellent cooking skills, and a peach of a boy." He said as he turned to Ash. "And all of them belong to you." He stated as he turned back to Delia. "You should be very proud, Mrs. Ketchum." He remarked.

"Why, thank you very much, Mr. Goodshow." Delia replied. "You can just call me Delia." She informed Mr. Goodshow. "And yes, I am very proud of my little Ash!" she added as she turned to her son with her hand clasped together in front of her. "He was done so well on his journey up to date. I couldn't be any prouder!" She said with a tearful expression.

"Mom!" Ash whined out of embarrassment.

"You have every reason to be." Mr. Goodshow replied. "Now Ash," he started again as he turned back towards Ash. "I bet you have a few questions to ask me?" he inquired.

"Yeah! I do, Mr. Goodshow!" Ash over-enthusiastically exclaimed, almost jumping out of his chair in anticipation.

"Whoa, calm down, Ash." Professor Oak exclaimed, trying to keep Ash under control.

Mr. Goodshow merely laughed light-heartedly at Ash's excitement. "You sure are a lively spirit, Ash." He remarked.

"Sorry, Mr. Goodshow." Ash apologized, having relaxed in his chair again. "But it's just a lot of info to absorb. There are some things that don't make sense…" He added.

"Well, that's what I'm here for!" Mr. Goodshow informed Ash. "So, fire away!" he then exclaimed.

"Yes!" Ash cheered with a fist-pump into the air. "Mmmm…" he then exclaimed as he put his hand on his chin. "So," he started after a while. "My 'Title'," he said, emphasizing the 'Title' by the use of air brackets with his hands. "Has been challenged?" he continued inquiring.

"Yes, Ash." Mr. Goodshow replied. "Your Title as the Champion of the Orange League has been challenged." He elaborated once more.

"So, I'm the Champion of the Orange League, then?" Ash inquired with a frown forming on his face, to which Mr. Goodshow replied by nodding affirmatively. "But how is that even possible?" Ash asked.

Mr. Goodshow tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean by that, Ash?" he asked as he frowned at Ash.

"Well," Ash started, but stopped again to choose his words more precise. "I didn't know I was the Champion, or that the Orange League even had such a thing as a Champion." He confessed.

"That's a good point, Ash." Professor Oak stated.

"Yes, it is." Mr. Goodshow agreed. "It is quite confusing, especially with Drake. You remember Drake, don't you?" he asked as he looked expectantly at Ash.

"Boy, do I…" Ash trailed off.

**[FLASHBACK…]**

"_Venusaur:" Drake started. "Solarbeam, now!" he ordered._

"_Venusaur!" Venusaur exclaimed as the flower on the top of its back started glowing white, signalling that it has started gathering energy for the Solarbeam._

"_Tauros:" Ash started from the other side of the battlefield. "Take Down attack!" he ordered._

_Tauros responded to Ash's command by charging towards Venusaur, whom was still immobilized by the charging of the Solarbeam._

_Tauros connected with Venusaur following his stampede, but the Seed Pokemon remained unmoved and stood its ground against the Wild Bull Pokemon's Take Down attack._

_Although Venusaur hadn't moved from the spot; Tauros still kept pushing, desperately trying to move the giant Grass type. But it is to no avail as all of the pushing is only burying Tauros's hooves deeper into the soft sand, up to the point where Tauros is now stuck on the spot it is currently standing on._

_The flower on Venusaur's back was now completely shining white, signalling that the Solarbeam attack was ready to be fired._

"_Solarbeam, now!" Drake yelled out the order at Venusaur._

"_Tauros: Send Venusaur soaring, now!" Ash countered Drake's order from the other side of the battlefield._

"_Taur!" Tauros exclaimed as he lodged Venusaur straight up into the air with his horns, sending the Seed Pokemon flying…_

"_Now," Ash started, ready to finish this match after a brief struggle between Tauros and Venusaur's vines. "Use Take Down attack!" he ordered._

"_Taur!" Tauros exclaimed before it started charging towards Venusaur with yet another Take Down attack._

"_Venusaur!" Venusaur exclaimed as it unleashed multiple vines out towards Tauros, trying to thwart the Wild Bull Pokemon's progress towards it._

_Venusaur's Vine Whip attempt proved futile as Tauros jumped into the air and started tearing through the Seed Pokemon's vine defence. Tauros connected with his Take Down attack, sending Venusaur flying backwards in the air and eventually crashing into the ground._

"_Venusaur is unable to battle!" the referee declared as he lifted the green flag in his right hand towards Ash…_

…

"_Finish it off with Dragon Rage!" Ash ordered Charizard from his side of the field._

"_Char!" Charizard exclaimed as his tail flame started getting bigger and a sphere of energy started forming in front of his mouth, signalling that he was charging the powerful Dragon Rage attack._

"_Fight fire with fire, Dragonite!" Drake countered Ash's order from the opposite side of the field._

_Dragonite acknowledged Drake's order and started charging a Dragon Rage attack as well, the sphere of energy forming in front of its mouth._

_The two attacks finished charging, and Charizard and Dragonite fired their respective Dragon Rage attacks at each other simultaneously. The two attacks connected in the middle of the battlefield, resulting in a massive explosion and a big cloud of smoke that engulfed the field._

_The smoke eventually cleared and it revealed to everyone that both Charizard as well as Dragonite were still standing, staring each other down._

_The two part-Flying type pokemon continued staring each other down, both of them having too much pride to back down. They were both breathing heavily, clearly injured and exhausted by this mammoth battle._

_They stared at each other for a while longer, before Charizard finally collapsed, his energy drained out._

"_Charizard," the referee started. "Is unable to battle!" he declared as he raised the red flag in his left hand towards Drake…_

…

"_Let's win it, Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he determinedly pointed towards Dragonite, calling on his final active pokemon: Pikachu._

"_Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped from next to Ash onto the battlefield, a determined expression evident on his face._

"_Dragonite:" Drake started. "Let's go!" he yelled out._

"_Dragooo!" Dragonite exclaimed as it turned straight to Pikachu, resulting in a stare-down between the two pokemon._

"_Pikachu:" Ash started. "Use your Agility!" he ordered from his side of the field._

"_Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed from where he was standing on the field, before darting towards Dragonite in front of him. "Pi Pi Pi Pi…" he exclaimed as he repeatedly vanished and immediately reappeared in different places en route to Dragonite._

"_Dragonite: Stop that Pikachu!" Drake countered from his side of the field._

_Dragonite responded to its master's command by spinning around and swinging its tail straight towards Pikachu, who was vulnerable in the middle of his Agility attack, sending the yellow mouse flying through the air…_

_Dragonite desperately shook its head in order to shake Pikachu, who was holding onto the Dragon type's head for dear life, off._

"_Pikachu:" Ash started from his side of the field. "Thunder attack!" he ordered._

"_Pikaaa…" Pikachu started, still desperately clinging onto Dragonite's head. "CHUUUU!" he exclaimed as he unleashed the mammoth Thunder attack from his body._

_The Thunder attack lit up the stadium, along with Dragonite, albeit very painfully. Once the Thunder died down; the battlefield was revealed to the crowd as well as Ash and Drake. Dragonite and Pikachu were both still situated where they were, with Pikachu still clinging onto Dragonite's head._

"_Dragooo!" Dragonite suddenly yelled as it viciously shook Pikachu off of its head._

_Pikachu landed on all fours in front of Dragonite._

_The two pokemon then stared each other down, both breathing heavily as the accumulated battle wounds started taking their toll. They stared at each other for a while longer, before Dragonite collapsed backwards and fell down onto its back…_

**[…]**

"You see, Ash." Mr. Goodshow started again. "Many people mistake Drake as the Champion, but he is actually what we call the Head Leader of the Orange League. So, he is also classified as a Gym Leader, but with a bit more merit." He explained. "Although the Orange Islands' Gym Leaders have unorthodox ways of testing a challenger; the Orange League is just like any other League in the department of having a Champion. So, your title can and has been challenged." He informed Ash.

"But, how come I never had to face the previous Champion after I beat Drake?" Ash inquired.

"Excellent question, Ash." Mr. Goodshow replied. "You see, the previous Champion of the Orange League won the title 56 years ago and has passed on in the meantime. That's why you never had to face anyone after Drake, because the Champion title was vacant." He explained. "Drake became the new Head Leader after the previous Head Leader, who happens to be Drake's grandfather who is now a member of the Elite Four in the Hoenn Region, retired about 12 years ago." He further added. "Since then, Drake has been undefeated, up until you beat him about 2 years ago." He informed Ash.

"I see…" Ash exclaimed, still clearly in thought. "But if it's been 2 years since I beat Drake, why have I only been challenged now?" he asked.

"Well," Mr. Goodshow started. "Ash, you were the only person to defeat Drake in a pokemon battle for a good fourteen years." He informed Ash. "Until about a month ago, that is." He added.

"Here you go!" Delia exclaimed as she put down a bowl of Miltank ice cream covered in chocolate sauce in front of each person on table.

"So," Ash started after everyone thanked Delia for the treat. "What happens now?" he asked Mr. Goodshow.

"What do you mean, Ash?" Mr. Goodshow asked as he frowned at Ash in confusion. "Didn't you finish reading the letter?" he asked.

Ash started digging in his pocket and pulled the said letter out of it. He unfolded it and quickly scanned over it. "Oops." He exclaimed as he looked back up at Mr. Goodshow. "I guess I forgot to read the rest…" he said as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head and giggled nervously.

This led to everyone, save for Ash, to sweat drop and fall out of their chairs onto their faces.

"Sorry, you guys. Lapse of concentration." Ash apologized while sheepishly laughing.

"Well," Misty started as she, along with the rest of the group, got back up to their chairs. "What does it say, Ash?" she impatiently asked.

"Uh, right!" Ash quickly exclaimed before he looked back down at the letter. "It says that I am expected to depart for the Orange Archipelago as soon as possible to prepare for the battle." He interpreted the letter out loud.

"And that's where I come in." Mr. Goodshow stated as he pulled out three pieces of paper. "Here you go, Ash." He said as he held the pieces of paper out to Ash.

"Uh, what're these, Mr. Goodshow?" Ash asked as he took the three papers from Mr. Goodshow and curiously examined them.

"Those are tickets, Ash." Mr. Goodshow replied. "Boat tickets, to be precise." He added.

"Boat tickets?" Ash repeated as he frowned at Mr. Goodshow in confusion.

"Yes, boat tickets for a ship that is sailing to Mandarin Island in the Orange Archipelago." Mr. Goodshow explained. "They are for you and two others of your choice, compliments of the Pokemon League." He added.

"Wow…" Ash exclaimed in awe as he looked at the tickets. "Misty, did you hear that?" he asked as he turned towards Misty. "That means that you can come with me for free!" he stated, excitement evident on his face. But his expression soon faltered though, after he noticed that Misty didn't share his excitement, but that her facial expression looked more distressed. "What's wrong?" he asked the red head.

"Ash," Misty uneasily started. "I don't think I'll be able to go with you…" she sadly informed Ash.

"What?" Ash exclaimed in shock. "But, why not, Misty?" he asked, distress evident in his eyes as he expectantly stared at the red head.

"The Gym, Ash." Misty stated. "I don't want to be too far away from the Gym, just in case something happens." She explained. "The Orange Archipelago is just too far away…" she sullenly finished as she looked down, near tears.

"Don't worry about the Gym, Misty." She heard someone say. She looked up at the person who said it: Tracey.

"I'll stop by the Gym every now-and-then, just to make sure the place is still standing." Tracey jokingly added. "So you don't have to worry about anything." He stated.

"Wow. Thanks a lot, Tracey!" Misty gratefully exclaimed as she breathed a huge sigh of relief along with Ash.

"So," Ash started again. "You're coming with me then, right?" he asked as he stared at Misty in anticipation.

"Yep!" Misty quickly replied. "You bet I am!" she added with a wink.

"Well, anyway." Mr. Goodshow interrupted the two of them. "The tickets aren't for any specific date, but the ship you have to be on leaves in two days from the harbour here in Pallet Town to Mandarin Island. So, don't miss it!" he informed Ash.

The group finished their deserts after that and it was time to go home. Everyone was currently standing outside the Pallet House, where Mr. Goodshow was in the middle of saying his goodbyes.

"Well, Ash." Mr. Goodshow started as he stopped in front of Ash, having already greeted the other members of the group. "Good luck with your training. This is where we say goodbye for now." He stated. "Unfortunately I cannot stay any longer, seeing as there is work to be done, hands to shake, deals to make." He added as he giggled at his own rhyming. "And good luck in your battle. I know you'll put on a show like no one else can." He finished as he held his hand out towards the pokemon Trainer.

"Mr. Goodshow," Ash started as he took Mr. Goodshow's hand. "I'll do my very best!" he said as he shook his hand with a determined look on his face.

From there; everyone went their separate ways for the night. Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Delia went to the Ketchum residence, while Professor Oak and Tracey went back to Professor Oak's lab, and Mr. Goodshow to the hotel where he is staying at for the night…

The next morning, Ash, Misty and Pikachu were sitting in the living room of the Ketchum residence, watching some TV and just talking about their next big, adventurous journey.

"So, Ash." Misty started. "You've got three tickets, where one for yourself, and another one for me, right?" she recapped.

"Right." Ash agreed as he held the three tickets in front of him.

"So, who does the third one belong to, then?" Misty curiously asked.

"Hmmm…" Ash exclaimed as he took one of the tickets and examined it, clearly thinking hard about the subject. "Uh," he finally exclaimed after a while. "Good question. I don't know!" he admitted. "Hey, I'll leave it here for my mom!" he suddenly declared as he got up from the couch. "I bet she'll want to see her son, the Orange League Champion, in action, live!" he stated as he put the remaining ticket on the living room table for Delia.

"Wow, a little bit full of ourselves today, aren't we?" Misty sarcastically responded to Ash's confident attitude.

"You bet I am!" Ash answered as he puffed his chest out to emphasize his dominance. "Anyway," he started again after calming down. "I'm getting kind of bored with just sitting here." He stated. "So, what do you want to do today, Misty?" he asked as he looked at the red head sitting on the couch.

"Hmmm…" Misty exclaimed as she placed her hand to her chin, giving the question some thought. "Well, I don't know?" she honestly answered. "It's your house, and you're hometown." She added.

"Awh man." Ash whined. "Come on, Misty. Think of something. I'm bored!" he continued whining as he slumped down next to Misty on the couch.

"Well, sorry for being such a boring guest then, Ash." Misty irritatedly stated as she glared at Ash next to her before turning away and crossing her arms with a small 'hmph'.

"I'm sorry, Misty. I didn't mean it like that! Honest!" Ash apologized. "It's just that we've got two days to burn and do nothing before we have to leave, so any suggestions would be very nice." He stated with an apologetic smile towards the red head.

Misty opened one eye and took a peek towards Ash. "You know, Ash." She started as she turned towards the pokemon Trainer. "We should really spend the day with your mom." She suggested.

"My Mom?" Ash repeated as his eyes grew wide in shock. "Are you insane!?" he exclaimed into Misty's face. "She's a slave driver!" he informed the red head as he started pacing up and down because of stress. "She'll break me before we even eat dinner tonight!" he added.

"Oh, come on, Ash." Misty exclaimed. "You're mother misses you when we're on our journeys. You never spend any time with her!" she informed Ash. "And besides, how bad can she be?" she added afterwards.

Ash looked at Misty and then turned his attention to the ground. He's got to admit that he doesn't really spend quality time with his Mom when he's taking a break from pokemon Training, something which he feels really bad about all of a sudden. "Well," he started after a short silence. "I guess we can spend the day with her, then." He declared. "But, don't say I didn't warn you!" he quickly added before he started walking to the back door, where his mother was busy outside with her garden.

"Oh, please." Misty exclaimed as she got up off the couch. "It really can't be that bad." She added as she followed Ash outside.

"Hey, Mom!" Ash yelled as he jumped through the doorway and landed on the grass outside in front of his mother, who was busy in her garden.

"Yes?" Delia asked as she looked up from her flowers with a garden scissor in her hands. "What is it, sweety?" she asked as she turned to face Ash.

"Well," Ash started, clearly thinking about the matter. "Since it's our last day here; Misty suggested we help you around the house and spend some time with you." He informed his mother as he turned to Misty. "And Misty really wants to help you with the dishes, laundry and all those difficult stuff…" he added as he smirked at the red head.

"WHAT!?" Misty suddenly yelled, but quickly covered her mouth with her hands. "I mean…" she started again after regaining her composure. "Ash, what're you talking about?" she innocently asked as she faked a giggle.

"Is that true, Misty dear?" Delia asked. "Do you want to help me with the chores?" she asked as her eyes started sparkling in excitement at the prospect of having company while she worked.

"Uh…" Misty exclaimed. "Well…" she trailed off as she looked at Delia. She was stuck now…"Uhm…yeah?" she uncertainly answered.

"Oh, that's so sweet of you, Misty." Delia squealed. "You can start with vacuuming the carpets then." She informed the red head. "Mimey, why don't you go show Misty where the vacuum cleaner is." She said as she turned to Mimey.

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey exclaimed as it indicated for Misty to follow it as they went into the house.

Misty sighed in defeat before she started following Mimey into the house. Before she went inside, she looked over her shoulder towards Ash, hoping that he had a way out for her. But Ash showed her a 'v' with his fingers while grinning largely instead. Misty glared at him, before Mimey dragged her inside by the arm.

"Well," Ash started as he turned around. "That was fun…" he remarked before he started walking away.

"Ash!" he heard a voice call out behind him. He turned around to find his mother glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

"Uh, yeah, Mom?" he uncertainly asked. "What is it?" he added.

"Where do you think you're going?" Delia demanded, the glare still on her face.

"Uh, I was just going to Professor Oak's for a whi-"Ash started answering.

"Oh, no you're not!" Delia interrupted Ash. "What you ARE going to do, is help Misty clean the house." She informed her son.

"But, Mom!" Ash started his protest. "Misty VOLUNTEERED to clean the house!" he informed his mother.

"Misty is a guest, Ash." Delia informed Ash. "She doesn't have to do anything if she doesn't want to. So," she stopped as she walked to the back door. She returned after a short while with a broom in her hand. "Here." She exclaimed as she pushed the broom into her son's hands. "Get sweeping!" she ordered.

"Awh man!" Ash whined in great dissatisfaction. He looked back to his mother, hoping that his actions would get her to let him off easy. But sadly, it didn't. She was instead pointing towards the back door behind her, signalling that he must get to work, pronto.

Ash sighed in defeat as he slowly and begrudgingly started making his way into the house…

"Oh my goodness…" Misty exclaimed as she pluffed down on the couch, vacuum cleaner in hand. She was still busy with vacuuming the Ketchum living room, although she was wondering if she is going to be able to get back up from this nice, soft couch. She was so tired; she reckoned that even the floor would be suitable for now.

Misty's little oasis-moment was interrupted however, as the all-knowing Mimey stopped in front of the couch she was sitting on, duster in hand.

"Mime!" Mimey scowled as it stood in front of Misty, glaring at the red head.

Misty exasperatedly sighed. "What is it, Mimey?" she asked as she gave Mimey a look-over.

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey yelled as it pointed to the floor around them. It then pointed to the vacuum cleaner that was currently lying next to Misty against the couch.

"Alright…" Misty sighed as she got up with quite a bit of effort. "I'm going…" she exclaimed as she put the vacuum cleaner on again and started sucking the carpets.

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey exclaimed, clearly ecstatic that Misty was working again, before it walked off to continue its dusting. The mime really hated a lazy cleaner while it was on duty.

"Oh, brother…" Misty whined as she continued vacuuming. "Who would have thought that such a sweet lady could be such a slave driver!" she cried out. "Whose idea was it to volunteer for this anyway?" she demanded to know.

"Uh, yours?" Ash exclaimed as he suddenly appeared in the doorway with a broom in hand. "You were the one who offered to help my Mom, and then dragged me into this as well!" he elaborated. "So, you see, Misty," he started again. "This is the part where I say, I told you so!" he informed the red head with a triumphant grin on his face.

"And why are you so happy?" Misty asked with a confused look on her face as she watched Ash curiously. "You're stuck doing chores too, you know…" she informed the pokemon Trainer.

"Well, yeah. That's true." Ash agreed as he put his hand to his chin in thought. "But this is actually excellent training for me and Pikachu!" he quickly added with a dramatic fist pump into the air. "Isn't that right, Pikachu?" he asked as he looked down, causing Misty to look down as well.

Down there, close to the floor, was Pikachu. He was hanging onto the broom with Ash, but his tiny little feet didn't even come close to touching the floor beneath them.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed with his Master.

"So, I'm actually glad you pulled me into this, Misty." Ash informed Misty. "Come on, Pikachu." He started as he turned his attention back to Pikachu and the broom. "Forward sweep!" he declared.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed in agreement, still clinging to the broom.

The two of them then started sweeping again, but it was more like Ash sweeping the floor as he walked, with Pikachu dangling from the broom, his feet also moving as if he was walking on the ground, determined to lend his Master a hand.

It was at that moment, however, that Ash and Pikachu were knocked out of the way, by a rampaging Mimey, whom now also donned a broom.

"Hey!" Ash yelled as he sat up. "What's the big idea, Mimey!?" he angrily yelled at Mimey.

"Mime!" Mimey exclaimed as it raised the broom up into the air with its hand, signalling its supremacy over Ash in the cleaning department.

"Oh yeah!?" Ash exclaimed as he jumped back up onto his feet, igniting a stare-off with Mimey, each with a broom in hand. "Well, we'll just have to see who's the better cleaner around here!" he declared.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed from where he was dangling from the broom.

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey exclaimed in agreement with this little contest.

What followed after that was a bit of an overblown sweeping contest between the team of Ash and Pikachu, against Mimey. Both parties were sweeping at a rigorous pace, leaving the spot they were sweeping spotless.

"Come on, Pikachu." Ash started, out of breath. "We're gonna show that mime what goes for what around here!" he declared as he started sweeping faster and faster, almost jumping from one spot the other.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed in agreement. He then started moving his feet faster and faster as they continued sweeping. But, the problem here was, that Pikachu was still hanging in the air. So the yellow mouse didn't really have a big contribution to the sweeping. He was actually more of a liability to Ash, seeing as he was just some extra weight that had to be carried along with the broom.

The sweeping contest continued for a while after that, until Ash collapsed on the floor…

"Uh, so…tired…" Ash mumbled.

"Mime?" Mimey exclaimed as it stopped in front of Ash and Pikachu. "Mime, Mr. Mime!" it exclaimed as it shoved its fist into the air in victory.

"No," Ash mumbled. "How could I lose to a clown!" he cried out as he took a hold of Pikachu, desperately shaking the yellow mouse for an answer.

It was at that moment that Delia walked into the room. "Oh my!" she cried out as she looked at the living room. "This room. It's…it's…" she started, to which Ash and Pikachu gulped, afraid of her wrath. "It's spotless!" she exclaimed in delight.

Ash and Pikachu both let out huge sighs of relief.

It was true. The little cleaning rivalry between Mimey and Ash had left the living room sparkly clean. There wasn't a fleck of dust anywhere.

"Oh, thank you!" Delia exclaimed as she made her way to Ash and Pikachu.

"Awh, it was nothi-"Ash started replying, until he noticed his mother running right past him.

"Mimey!" Delia finished as she embraced Mimey, who happened to be standing behind Ash and Pikachu.

Ash fell down straight onto his face. "But!" he exclaimed. "I helped too!" he yelled out, but he was ignored by his mother. "I never win!" he cried out in defeat. "You love Mimey more than you love me!" he added, but it went in through his mother's one ear and out the other as she continued praising Mimey…

A while after Ash, Misty and Pikachu assisted Delia and Mimey in house cleaning; the group consisting out of Ash, Misty and Pikachu decided to start packing for their trip to the Orange Archipelago. It was sometime during this activity that Ash decided that he wants to go to Professor Oak immediately, which resulted in Misty wanting to come along or else she would be stuck packing both their bags. So, the two of them, accompanied by Pikachu then set off towards the Lab for whatever reason Ash wanted to go there…

"Well," Misty started as they stood in front of the front door to the Lab. "Here we are." She exclaimed. "What is it you want to do here again?" she asked as she lifted her brow at Ash.

"I just want to talk to all my pokemon about something." Ash informed Misty before he opened the door and invited himself in, like always.

Misty aggravatedly sighed at Ash before following him inside anyway, making sure to close the door behind her.

"Hey, Professor Oak!" Ash yelled as he walked into the living room area of the Lab. "Hello!?" he called out.

"Ash?" Professor Oak asked as he stuck his head out from the library closet in the back of the room. "I thought I heard your voice." He said as he stepped out of the closet, carrying a stack of six books in his arms.

"Hey there, Professor Oak." Ash formally greeted the Professor with a wave of his hand.

"Hey, Professor Oak." Misty also greeted from next to Ash.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu greeted Professor Oak from on top of Ash's shoulder with a wave of his paw, mirroring his Master's actions.

"Hello, Misty, Pikachu." Professor Oak greeted Misty and Pikachu. "So, what can I do for you today?" he asked as he turned back to Ash.

"Well," Ash started. "I've decided that I'm going leave all of my pokemon, except for Pikachu, here with you, Professor." He declared.

"What?" Misty exclaimed from next to Ash. "But, why?" she curiously asked the pokemon Trainer.

"Yes, I agree." Professor Oak exclaimed from in front of them. "This is quite an unusual move, Ash." He added. "Don't you want to train? I'm sure you would like your pokemon to be as strong as possible for your match?" he elaborated.

"Yeah," Ash started. "I do want my pokemon to be as strong as they can for the match." He agreed. "But, to be honest, I don't even know what my team will look like." He admitted. "So, that's why I want all of them to stay here with each other. It'll help them relax and mentally prepare them for the match before I choose my team." He explained.

Misty stared at Ash, her eyes wide in shock. Did he figure that out by himself? Since when does he actually think hard about something before a battle? She had to admit; that is an impressive plan of action…

"Hmmm," Professor Oak exclaimed, giving the situation some thought. "Well Ash, I've got to say that it's actually a very good idea." He exclaimed, mirroring Misty's view on the subject. "So, do you want to go tell all of them the news?" he asked the pokemon Trainer.

"Yep!" Ash exclaimed. "If it's okay with you, Professor Oak?" he quickly added.

"By all means." Professor Oak assured Ash as he started walking towards the back door that led outside, where all the pokemon resided, followed by Ash, Misty and Pikachu…

Once the four of them were outside; Ash got Pidgeot to call all of his pokemon closer and soon they all them stood in a half-circle in front of their Master.

"So," Ash started once all of his pokemon quieted down. "You're all probably wondering why I called all of you here?" he asked as he looked over his trusted companions, to which he received a collection of different cries in approval as his answer. "Well," he started again. "You see guys, the reason I called you all here, is because I want to inform all of you that I've been challenged to a battle by someone who won the Orange League." He informed all of them.

The pokemon all replied by nodding in understanding of the situation.

"So," Ash started again. "I've decided that I'm only taking Pikachu with me to the Orange Archipelago tomorrow. I'm leaving the rest of you here until further notice." He declared. "But, don't think that I'm leaving you here just because I don't want you with me!" he quickly added after seeing some of his pokemon's expressions sadden. "I just want you guys to relax for a while until I sort everything out over there." He explained to them. "Is that okay with you guys?" he asked as he looked at them, waiting for an answer.

The pokemon responded by crying out there names, signalling that it was perfectly fine with them and that they understood.

"Thanks a lot, you guys." Ash said as he smiled at his pokemon in relief. "Oh, and don't think you're all on vacation now." He added. "I'm gonna need a strong team if I want to defeat this challenger. So, you guys better train hard so you'll all be in tip-top shape for the battle!" he informed them with a determined smirk on his face.

All of the pokemon cheered at Ash, determined to get as strong as they can and not let their Master down.

Misty and Professor Oak were standing behind Ash the whole time and after Ash finished informing the pokemon of his plan of action; Misty remembered something…

"Oh no. I almost forgot!" the red head suddenly cried out.

"Uh, what is it, Misty?" Ash asked as he turned around after hearing Misty's outcry.

"I forgot to let my sisters know I'll be going with you to the Orange Archipelago!" Misty informed Ash.

"Uh, so?" Ash exclaimed. "What does that matter?" he asked in confusion.

"They have to know that I won't be close by to rescue the Gym if they mess up." Misty explained to Ash. "They have to be careful not to break anything and remember to do their chores." She added.

"Oh, I get it now!" Ash exclaimed.

"Professor Oak." Misty exclaimed as she turned to face Professor Oak, who was standing next to her. "Is it okay if I use your video phone?" she asked. "I promise it'll only take a second!" she assured the Professor.

"Oh, it's no problem at all, Misty!" Professor Oak exclaimed. "You can take all the time you need!" he added.

"Thanks, Professor Oak!" Misty yelled before she sped off. "I'll be right back, you guys!" she yelled as she disappeared into the building, on her way to the video phone, leaving Ash and Professor Oak behind with all of the pokemon…

Misty quickly ran through the halls en route to the video phone, which was located in the lab-section of the building. She quickly sat down in front of the video phone, making sure not to touch anything in the lab, and then entered the Cerulean Gym's number.

The phone started ringing, signalling that it was processing the call, as Misty impatiently waited for someone to pick up on the other side. After about 33 seconds; the screen finally lit up and revealed Daisy's face.

"Hey, Daisy!" Misty hastily greeted her oldest sister.

"Oh, like, hey there, Misty." Daisy greeted from the other side of the screen. "What's up?" she asked.

"I just wanted to tell you guys that "I'm going with Ash to the Orange Archipelago tomorrow." Misty informed Daisy.

"Awh." Daisy whined. "So, that means you're not coming back, like, any time soon?" she inquired. "I'm not one for complaining, but running this Gym is, like, hard work!" she stated.

"You guys better not be slacking off there!" Misty angrily yelled at Daisy.

"Sjeesh, little sis. Relax." Daisy calmed Misty down from the other side of the screen. "We're doing everything we're, like, supposed to. So, stop worrying." She reassured the red head. "Anyway, I guess it's okay if you go. I mean, we like agreed to look after the Gym so you can go on your journey anyway…" she sighed.

"Thanks, Daisy." Misty thanked her sister with a genuine smile of gratitude. "So, I'm appointing you the official Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym for the time being, okay?" she informed Daisy.

"Like, what does that mean?" Daisy asked in confusion.

"It just means that if the Pokemon Inspection Agency happen to come by to inspect the Gym, we won't get in trouble for not having the official Gym Leader present." Misty explained.

"Oh, okay." Daisy exclaimed, pleased that she didn't get any extra chores to do.

"And tell Lily and Violet to help out around the Gym!" Misty yelled at Daisy.

"Yeah, yeah…" Daisy nonchalantly replied with a wave of her hand.

"Oh, yeah!" Misty exclaimed. "I also want you to send me Staryu and Gyarados's pokeballs, please." She added. "I want to train a bit with Gyarados and Staryu's been with me from the start." She explained.

"Awh man!" Daisy whined again.

"What's wrong now?" Misty asked as she frowned at her oldest sister.

"Misty, do you have to, like, take Staryu AND Gyarados?" Daisy hopefully asked.

"Uh, why are you asking that?" Misty asked as she gave Daisy a sceptical eye.

"Well, you see." Daisy started with a bit of a sheepish laugh. "I was actually planning to use Gyarados to, like, wipe out the competition!" she stated with a dramatic fist pump.

"WHAT?" Misty asked in shock. "You guys always look for an easy way out of doing work!" she stated, referencing Violet and Lily in their absence from the conversation. "Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I want Gyarados and Staryu with me! And their MY pokemon!" she yelled at the screen.

"Alright, alright!" Daisy exclaimed as she held her hands up in her defense. "You can have them then. Just give me a few minutes to get them in their, like, pokeballs." She stated before she disappeared from the screen, presumably going to fetch Gyarados and Staryu.

A few more minutes of silence and inactivity on the screen went by, before Daisy sat back down in front of the screen again.

"Okay," Daisy started. "I've got them in their pokeballs, like, see?" she stated as she held a pokeball in each of her hands on the screen, showing Misty that her pokemon are ready for transfer.

"Okay, good." Misty stated. "Send them over." She ordered.

"Like, okay…" Daisy exclaimed as she fidgeted with something off-screen. "Here comes Staryu." She said and after a few seconds, a pokeball formed in the little container next to the screen, built for that exact purpose.

"Okay." Misty exclaimed as she picked the pokeball. "Got it!" she informed Daisy as she held the pokeball up to the screen.

"Are you sure you want Gyarados, Misty?" Daisy asked. "We could really use it here at the Gym…" she suggested.

"YES, I'M SURE!" Misty yelled at the screen. "Now, send Gyarados over!" she demanded.

"Okay! Sjeesh." Daisy complained as she fidgeted off-screen again. "Like, chill out, little sister." She mumbled. "There, Gyarados is on its way." She announced.

The pokeball soon formed next to the screen on Misty's side after which the red head picked it up and held it up to the screen. "Got it. Thanks, Daisy." She exclaimed.

"Sure, no problem…" Daisy said, albeit slightly bitter. "Anyway, I've got to, like, go now." She informed Misty. "So, take care of yourself, alright, little sister?" she stated.

"Yeah, I will." Misty sincerely answered.

"Oh, and no rough stuff with Ash now, okay, Misty…" Daisy quickly added with a seductive smirk on her face.

"DAISY! SHUT UP!" Misty angrily yelled as she slammed the phone into its socket, thus ending the transmission. "Stupid Daisy…" she mumbled as she got up, her face now bright red in embarrassment, as she started walking back to Ash and Professor Oak…

"Well, Ash." Professor Oak started. "I guess it's almost time to get on the ship." He informed the pokemon Trainer.

It was the next day and the ship which Ash, Misty and Pikachu had to board, had docked a while ago and was now ready to set off once more.

"By the way, Ash." Professor Oak started again. "Do you have your Pokedex with you?" he inquired.

"Uh, yeah. Right here, Professor Oak!" Ash answered as he pulled out his second version Pokedex, which he received from Professor Oak before he embarked on his journey through the Johto Region.

"Can I see it, please?" Professor Oak asked as he held his hand out to Ash.

"Uh, yeah. Sure." Ash answered as he gave Professor Oak his Pokedex.

"Thank you, Ash." Professor Oak said as he put the Pokedex in his pocket. He then pulled out something else. "Here," he said as he held the object out to Ash. "This is your very first Pokedex, but I've updated its database." He explained. "It now contains data of Pokemon from the Hoenn Region as well." He added as Ash took the Pokedex from him.

"Wow…" Ash exclaimed as he gazed at the Pokedex in his hand. "Thanks a lot, Professor Oak!" he thanked Professor Oak.

"Good luck, Ash." Professor Oak exclaimed. "I know you'll make us all proud!" he added.

"Thanks, Professor. I'll do my best!" Ash replied with a determined smirk on his face.

"Oh, my baby!" Delia suddenly cried out as she launched herself towards Ash and latched her arms tightly around her son. "I'm going to miss you so much!" she exclaimed as her grip on him tightened even more.

"Can't…breathe…" Ash stuttered out as he swung his arms around in the air out of desperation.

"Oh, sorry, hunny." Delia apologised as she let go of Ash. "I'm just going to miss you so much." She tearfully stated.

"I'll miss you too, Mom." Ash replied after getting his breath back.

"Oh, Misty!" Delia then suddenly yelled as she latched herself on Misty. "I'm going to miss you too! It's been so nice having you around!" she cried.

"T-thank…you…" Misty stuttered out, lacking air in her lungs.

"You two have fun on your little trip!" Delia exclaimed as she let go of Misty. "And please be safe! And stay out of trouble, Ash!" she tearfully added.

The goodbyes were interrupted, however, by the sound of the ship's horn blowing, signalling that it was time to go.

"Oh no. Bye, Mom. Bye, Professor Oak!" Ash greeted.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Ketchum, Professor Oak!" Misty also greeted.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu greeted from on top of Ash's shoulder, before the three of them darted off towards the ship's entrance. They luckily made it onto the ship in time. The horn sounded one more time, before the anchor was hoisted and the ship set sail.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu hastily ran to the back of the ship to wave goodbye to Professor Oak and Delia one last time.

"Goodbye!" Ash and Misty simultaneously yelled while waving goodbye as the ship steadily left Pallet Town Harbour.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu added from Ash's shoulder.

"Goodbye!" Delia yelled back as she and Professor Oak waved back. "Oh, Ash! I almost forgot to tell you!" she yelled again. "REMEMBER TO CHANGE YOUR YOU-KNOW-WHATS EVERY DAY!" she reminded her son.

"MOM!" Ash whined as the ship sailed over the horizon, on its way to the Orange Archipelago…

**So, not much happening in this chapter. Just a bit of explanation of what I think the Orange League-plot is like.**

**So, since an obviously huge battle is coming up; I want you guys to PM me a team of six for Ash. And it has to be canon, please! Be realistic when you compose the team. And PM me your choices, DO NOT PUT IT IN YOUR REVIEWS!**

**The good news regarding this story is that I've gotten everything up until chapter 26 planned out. The bad news: Well, I have to get time somewhere to write it all. But we'll get there.**

**Cheers.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Wow. It's really been a long time, has it? About 8 months or so? All I can say is I'm sorry, and not even that can truly show my sincere apologies for keeping you all waiting that long.**

**Let's just say things were very hectic at college. The work just got more and more and I could barely keep up! But my hard work paid off and I received six distinctions this year.**

**I mean, by the beginning of this week, this chapter only had about 1 500 words. And to make things worse, I recently discovered Bleach, which caused me to read a lot of Bleach Fan fiction, which also took up a lot of my time. I truly apologize.**

**I am by no means abandoning this story, that I assure you! I have mind maps up until chapter 28, and I also have a rough map of where this story is going. And it is by no means over yet!**

**So, without further distractions, I will be posting chapters 24 and 25 simultaneously, only because chapter 25 is significantly shorter than the last few chapters, so once again, I apologize.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 24: A couple of old faces. One good, one, maybe not so good…:**

The sun was shining bright. A cool sea breeze was blowing over the ocean and all in all, it was just a perfect, beautiful day. The Orange Archipelago was well-known for having the outmost perfect weather conditions, most of the time that is…

But, Ash, Misty and Pikachu have only enjoyed perfect weather so far on their way to Mandarin Island. The ship they were on had been sailing for about five days now through the relatively calm ocean, without any troublesome-trio disturbances or vicious, life-threatening storms. So, they could simply relax and enjoy their little sea-bound vacation until they got to Mandarin Island, which should be within the next six to seven hours, seeing as it took about five to six days to get to Mandarin Island from Pallet Town via sea. And enjoying themselves they were…

"WOOHOOOOO!" Ash yelled out as he jumped through the air, jumping into the water, resulting in a big splash.

"PIKA!" Pikachu yelled as he too jumped through the air into the water, mirroring his Master's actions with a much smaller splash.

The duo consisting out of Ash and Pikachu were currently splashing about in the pool on the ship's deck, while Misty was busy working on her tan on a chair not too far away from the pool.

"Ah, yeah!" Ash exclaimed as he surfaced from under the water. "Feels great, doesn't it, Pikachu?" he asked as he wiped his face to remove some excess water.

"Chaaa!" Pikachu squealed as he floated by Ash on his back, clearly relaxed and enjoying this little mini-vacation on the sea.

"Oops…" Ash exclaimed as he gave Pikachu a little nudge, resulting in the yellow mouse losing his balance and sinking into the water.

Pikachu resurfaced shortly after, however, and had an irritated look on his face which was directed at his Master.

"Hehe, come now, Pikachu…" Ash nervously started as he carefully watched the yellow mouse. "It was just a little fun, right?" he tried bargaining himself out of an electrical shock in the swimming pool.

Pikachu, however, didn't look happy at all. "Pika…" he threatened as he glared at his Master, seemingly ready to unleash his wrath on the swimming pool.

"P-Pikachu?" Ash again uncertainly asked as he slowly started moving backwards away from Pikachu.

"Pika!" Pikachu suddenly exclaimed as he jumped out of the water, causing Ash to cover up in fear of being electrocuted.

He covered his face with his arms and curled himself up, waiting for the pain to hit him. But there was now seizuring pain that followed. What instead followed was a Pikachu colliding with his head, sending him plunging underwater in surprise.

Ash resurfaced followed by Pikachu. They looked at each other before bursting out in laughter.

"Wow, Pikachu." Ash stuttered out between laughs. "You really had me going there, buddy." He exclaimed.

"Pika Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu replied before he splashed some water in Ash's direction.

"Oh, you want to play like that, eh, Pikachu?" Ash exclaimed as he covered his face with his arms to avoid getting splashed with water. "Okay, WATER WAR!" he yelled before he started splashing back, causing a mini-water fight to break out between the two of them, which Ash was winning, of course, because of the fact that his arms and hands were much bigger than the yellow mouse's.

Misty, who was still enjoying the sun on her chair, turned her head slightly towards the swimming pool, where Ash and Pikachu were in the middle of their little game. "Hmph." She exclaimed as she turned her head back and looked up into the sky. "Children: So easily amused." She remarked, which caused Ash to stop playing and turn to her, ready to yell out an insult to the red head.

However, before he could yell something back; he was distracted by the red head settling back down in her chair and continuing her tanning. This scene caused him to freeze up and gawk at the red head with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. _'Wow,' _he exclaimed in his mind. _'Is it just me, or is Misty…SEXY?'_ he contemplated in his thoughts as he stared at the red head from head to toe.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked himself in confusion as he stared at Ash in front of him, where a small red streak was starting to form over his cheeks.

"Hmm…" Ash exclaimed in thought as he cocked his head to the side while staring at Misty. _'Misty's really, really pretty!'_ he thought as his eyes stretched wider in realization. _'How come I've only noticed it now, after all those years of travelling around with her?'_ he asked himself mentally. _'Maybe I'm only starting to realize it now, because I like her?'_ he asked himself before he quickly covered his mouth, afraid that someone heard him say that. It took him a few seconds to remember that he was actually thinking it, and not saying it, which caused him to sweat drop embarrassingly.

Misty didn't even notice Ash's antics, seeing as she was way too relaxed while she tanned, and only wiggled herself a bit to get even more comfortable before giving off a loud, content sigh.

Ash kept staring at the red head, the blush on his cheeks still very much evident. _'Misty…'_ he thought as a small smile started forming on his lips as he contently watched Misty enjoying her fun in the sun.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped out of the water and lodged onto the side of Ash's face, becoming fairly annoyed because of his Master's statue-like stance in the pool disrupting their water fight, which he feels he was winning.

"AH!" Ash yelled out in pain, snapping out of his staring state, as Pikachu's paws dug into his face. "Pikachu!" he yelled as he turned his attention to the yellow mouse. "What're you doing?" he asked as he tried shaking Pikachu off of his face by shaking his head back and forth. But it proved to be in vain as the yellow mouse kept hanging on.

"Pika Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed with a slight laugh as he hung on, determined to continue their little game.

"Pikachu! Get off!" Ash yelled, with laughter evident in his voice, as he started swinging his upper body around and round in order to swing Pikachu into the air and free himself from the yellow mouse's grip.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu yelled back as he shook his head in a defiant NO, determined not to be tossed aside by his Master.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play, eh, Pikachu?" Ash asked with a menacing smirk on his face as he suddenly stopped swinging his body around.

"Pika…Pikapi…" Pikachu fearfully exclaimed as nervous sweat started appearing on his face, dreading what was about to follow if his assumptions were correct…

"Okay then, let's do it your way!" Ash shouted before he took a deep breath. He then suddenly crouched down, causing him to sink underneath the water, with Pikachu in tow.

And there was silence on the surface, something which Misty enjoyed to the fullest from where she was tanning. "Finally, those two shut up." She exclaimed. "Now I can relax in peace…" she exclaimed before stretching her limbs and shifting a bit on the chair to get more comfortable, not even bothering to open her eyes to see where her two traveling companions went…

Meanwhile, underneath the water, Ash and Pikachu were floating in the middle of the pool.

"Hm?" Pikachu mumbled with a closed mouth as he looked around under the water, still clasping tightly to the side of Ash's head. He then turned his attention to his Master, whom he found staring back at him with a mischievous smirk on his face, which caused the yellow mouse to stare at him in confusion.

Ash replied to Pikachu's confused look by suddenly grinning triumphantly, which confused the yellow mouse even more.

Was his Master not aware of the fact that he, as a Pikachu, had a far better ability of holding his breath for longer periods of time than Ash himself? His expression changed to one of surprise however, as he felt his Master place his hands on his sides.

Ash, after having placed his hands on Pikachu's sides, started pulling on the yellow mouse. But Pikachu stubbornly held on to his Master's face, refusing to let go now. Ash had gotten Pikachu onto the front of his head, with the yellow mouse now covering Ash's entire face.

The pokemon Trainer saw this as his opportunity to finally get Pikachu off, so he closed his eyes, and started blowing air out through his mouth.

Ash's blowing caused a stream of bubbles to form right outside his mouth, and straight into Pikachu's face.

This caused Pikachu to jerk his head from side to side to evade the bubbles, but it was in vain as Ash simply turned his head as Pikachu turned. The yellow mouse decided that he finally had enough, and dislodged himself from his Master's face.

Ash triumphantly grinned as he showed a peace sign with his right index and middle fingers, before he realised, that he was out of air…

"GAH!" he exclaimed as the last remaining air exited his mouth, before he hastily started paddling with his limbs up towards the surface for some much needed oxygen. He finally surfaced out of the water and gawked in the fresh air, slowly filling his lungs again. He then took a look around and found Pikachu sitting on the edge of the pool, shaking his head to get the water out of his fur and eyes.

"See, Pikachu?" Ash yelled from where he was floating in the pool.

"Pika?" Pikachu exclaimed as he looked up from where he was sitting on the edge of the pool towards Ash.

"That's what happens when you mess with Ash Ketchum, soon-to-be Pokemon Master!" Ash yelled at Pikachu, doing a muscular pose in the water to emphasize his excellence.

Pikachu, on the other hand, didn't see this as the time for Ash to gloat, however. He instead saw this as the opportunity to exact revenge on his Master for his previous underwater attack on the yellow mouse. Taking a few steps back; Pikachu then proceeded to jump through the air, falling into the water right in front of Ash's face, causing water to invade the pokemon Trainer's mouth, ears and nose.

Ash then violently started coughing the water out as he rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands in an effort to get the water and sting out of them. He then turned his attention to Pikachu, who was floating in front of him. They stared at each other for a moment, before they both burst out laughing. "Good move, buddy." He finally managed to get out after he stopped laughing. "That'll teach me to mess with you." He added.

"Pika Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu replied before they both started laughing at each other again.

But, little did they know that their silly little game had splashed a good amount of water on a certain redhead, who was tanning nearby, although Ash and Pikachu didn't even notice her or the fact that they got her wet…

The two of them were still laughing away, when, all of a sudden, a big Masterball-like beach ball landed squarely on Ash's head, plunging him back underwater…

Ash, in the meantime, was sitting at the bottom of the pool, clutching his head while yelling all his air out, causing a load of air bubbles to float around him. Quickly realising that he's out of breath and won't make it back to the top in time to take in fresh air; he resorted to grabbing some of the air bubbles and shoving them back into his mouth. He then remembered the unpleasant bang on his head, and started swimming back up to the surface with a glare on his face, ready to exact revenge on the poor soul who threw that ball at him. Ash he surfaced, he noticed Misty standing in front of him on the edge of the pool, glaring down at him with her arms crossed.

"Pika Pika…" Pikachu mumbled as he stealthily swam out from under Misty's glare to somewhere a bit safer…

"Who threw me with that ball!?" Ash called out as he glared around him as he floated in the water.

"I did!" Misty yelled back from where she was standing.

"Misty?" Ash asked as he turned his attention to the red head. "What'd you do that for?" he then angrily added as he glared at her.

"I did it because I'm soaking wet, Ash!" Misty angrily responded as she pointed to herself, and she was indeed dripping wet. "And it's all YOUR fault!" she added as she pointed her finger straight into Ash's face.

"How's that my fault?" Ash asked as he frowned up at Misty in confusion.

"The reason I'm wet," Misty started as she placed her hands on her hips. "Is because of YOUR stupid little water game!" she informed Ash.

Ash was about to retort, but a yellow ball of fur behind Misty's legs, slowly approaching the red head. He locked eyes with Pikachu for a moment, before a smirk appeared on both of their faces.

"You know, Misty," the pokemon Trainer started with singing-like voice. "It sounds to me like you want to join in!" he informed the red head with an evil smirk plastered on his face.

"What?" Misty asked as she tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What even makes you remotely think that?" she asked the pokemon Trainer as she frowned at him.

"Oh, Misty," Ash started. "I don't think you have much of a choice…" he informed Misty as he swam closer to the edge of the pool where the red head was standing.

"Of course I have a choice!" Misty retorted, albeit with a bit of uneasiness in her voice. She then tried moving a bit away from the edge of the pool to avoid Ash dragging her into the pool by any chance. But it proved to be futile, however, because she felt something clamping on to her ankles, prohibiting her from moving anywhere. Looking down, the red head saw that her ankles were being held by none other than Ash.

"No, Misty," Ash started as he looked up at Misty with a devilish smirk on his face. "The thing is, you don't have a choice." He informed the red head. "Just ask Pikachu." He added as he nodded past her, motioning for her to take a look for herself.

Quickly turning around; Misty quickly caught sight of the little yellow ball of fur known as Pikachu, standing behind her on all four legs, looking ready to charge at her any second. "Oh boy…" she muttered under her breath, foreseeing that this will not end well for her. "Now, Pikachu," she shakily started with a big smile on her face. "There's no need to do anything we'll all regret later, right?" she tried negotiating with the yellow mouse. "Ash, tell him!" she pleaded with Ash as she turned back around to face him.

"Nope, sorry, Misty." Ash casually replied as he shook his head from side to side. "Ready when you are, buddy!" he yelled, shifting his attention from Misty to Pikachu.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu yelled back at his Master, before he came charging towards Misty.

"Great…" Misty muttered, right before she flew through the air as Pikachu connected with her back, with Ash simultaneously letting go of her ankles, sending her flying into the pool with a big splash.

"Good job, Pikachu!" Ash praised Pikachu as they both laughed at Misty, who was still underwater.

Their laughing immediately stopped, however, as they noticed red hair appearing out of the water, followed by Misty, who had an extreme, murderous glare on her face directed straight at the two of them.

"Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled out, her eyes now replaced with two balls of red hot flames. "You will pay." She stated in a venomous tone. She then proceeded to slowly make her way through the water towards the poor Ash, preparing to exact her revenge on the pokemon Trainer.

"Hehe…" Ash nervously laughed as Misty came closer and closer. "Come now, Misty," he started in an over-friendly tone. "It was just a joke, right? No harm done?" he negotiated, trying to choose his words very carefully in an attempt to not upset the red head further.

Misty, however, paid no mind to Ash's pleads, and was getting ever closer to the pokemon Trainer, who was now slowly starting to back away from her in an attempt to escape.

Unfortunately for Ash though, his space was quickly running out, and he soon found himself right up in the corner of the pool, trapped and with nowhere else to run to.

"Uh – oh…" Ash exclaimed after he noticed that there was no escape from Misty anymore. "Come on, Misty," he started pleading again. "Please, just let me go?" he tried negotiating once more. He was all too aware of Misty's fluctuating temper and really didn't want to be on the receiving end right now.

Misty, however, paid no mind to Ash's pleas and still made her way through the water towards him. She eventually stopped right in front of the pokemon Trainer, who tried to get himself as tight against the corner as possible to get away. She then stuck her face right in front of his and gave him a hard glare, under which Ash visibly gulped.

She glared at Ash for a few moments longer, before a grin made its way onto her face, which left Ash looking at her in confusion.

"Uh…" Ash exclaimed as he tilted his head to the side while frowning at Misty. "Why are yo-"was all he could get out, before the red head put her hands on his head and pushed all her weight down on them, sending the pokemon Trainer plunging down under the water. Of all the things she could have done, she dunked him.

There were a few moments of almost complete silence in the pool, with only bubbles appearing and bursting on the spot where Ash was dunked. He did resurface again after 30 seconds, however.

Spitting some water out of his mouth, Ash then angrily looked towards Misty, who was standing on the shallow side of the pool with her hands on her hips in a victorious pose, with a glare of pure irritation on his face. "You're gonna pay, Misty!" he angrily spat towards the red head while swinging his fist through the air to emphasize his anger.

"Ooh, I'm shaking!" Misty retorted as she made a frightened face and held her hands in front of her in mock defense, a smirk on her face the whole time.

"You should be!" Ash yelled as he lunged at Misty, but the red head simply moved to her right, avoiding the pokemon Trainer completely.

"Too slooooooow." Misty exclaimed as she stuck her tongue out mockingly towards Ash.

This was a big mistake, however, because it was just the opening that Ash needed. As the red head stood there with her tongue stuck out; Ash quickly took action and dragged his arms through the water, sending a wave straight into Misty's face and mouth.

She immediately started spitting water out of her mouth and as well as wiping her eyes to rid herself of the salty taste and sting in her eyes. As she glared through her half-open right eye, she saw Ash in front of her, sporting a victorious grin on his face and his right hand in a peace sign signifying his victory.

"You lose, Misty!" Ash declared with the stupid victory grin still plastered on his face. He then quickly ducked underwater as a wave of water splashed where his head was located moments ago, courtesy of Misty. He resurfaced soon after that and splashed some water back at her, thus commencing a competitive water fight between the two of them, with each of them getting a few good shots in on the other. This competition went on for a little while, until Misty jumped forward and dunked Ash once more.

Ash emerged out of the water shortly afterwards and shook his head to get the water off. "Now it's my turn!" he yelled as he turned his glare on Misty. "You haven't been dunked yet! So, now it's time I return the favour!" he declared before jumping through the air towards the red head.

"IT'S YOU! TRAINER FROM PALLET!" he heard someone yell out, which caused him to lose his concentration and fall right down into the water.

Misty turned towards the source of the yell and her eyes immediately widened at seeing who it was.

Ash resurfaced next to her and spit out a mouthful of water. "What gives!? Why are you yelling like tha-"he started scolding as he turned to face whoever just yelled at him, but froze mid-sentence as he realised who it was. "It's you! Samurai!" he yelled out as he pointed towards their guest.

Yes, standing on the edge of the pool in front of Ash and Misty, was Samurai, the Bug-type Trainer they had met in Viridian Forest almost right after Ash had started his Pokemon journey. He was clad in his usual attire, consisting out of Samurai armour that covered his entire midsection and chest areas, a white vest underneath it and a large Samurai helmet on top of his head. He also sported a sword in his right hand and a bug-catching net was hanging on his back.

"Yes, it is I: The Samurai from Viridian Forest!" Samurai declared to the occupants in the pool. "And you are Ash Ketchum! Pokemon Trainer from the town of Pallet!" he added as he pointed towards Ash. "And you are his friend," he continued as he turned his gaze towards Misty. "The red headed girl!" he concluded.

"My name is Misty. MISTY!" Misty angrily informed the armour-clad Trainer.

"Yes, well," Samurai started, changing the subject. "I must say that I am surprised to find the two of you on this vessel. What a coincidence that we are travelling on the same ship!" he remarked. "Although I must say that I am surprised to see that you still look so weak, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." He remarked with a smirk.

"WHAT!?" Ash suddenly yelled out, his face red out of anger. Yes, this was one of the fastest ways to rile the almost never calm and collected Ash Ketchum up. "Did you just say that I look weak?" he asked as he sneered at Samurai.

"You heard me." Samurai replied nonchalantly.

"Grrrr!" Ash growled as he started pulling his hair in aggravation. "I'll have you know that I'm plenty strong!" he shot back. "In fact, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" he yelled as he pointed towards Samurai.

"Very well!" Samurai exclaimed. "I accept your challenge!" he added as he pointed back at Ash.

**15 minutes later…**

Ash, with Pikachu next to him, and Samurai were standing at opposite ends of the swimming pool on deck, Ash in his normal clothing again, with Misty standing on the side of the pool. It turns out that Pokemon battles were a common occurrence on the ship, so the deck was able to transform into a battle field of sorts. The swimming pool now had various circular blocks standing out of the water to enable the Pokemon to move about more efficiently.

"Alright!" Misty yelled out from where she stood. "This will be a…uh…" she stopped and turned to Samurai. "Uh, how many Pokemon are you two going to use?" she sheepishly asked, cursing herself for forgetting to ask that question beforehand.

"Uh…" Samurai exclaimed as he gave the situation some thought. "How about three-on-three?" he proposed.

"Alright then." Misty said before turning to the middle once more. "This will be a three-on-thr-"

"WAIT!" Ash suddenly yelled out in horror.

"WHAT!?" Misty yelled in shock as she turned to face Ash. "What's the matter?" she irritatedly asked.

"Uh, I don't have three Pokemon with me." He exclaimed as he scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "I only brought Pikachu along, remember?" he declared as he pointed down to Pikachu standing next to him.

"Ooooh, that's right!" Misty exclaimed as she snapped her fingers in realisation. "I forgot about that!" she said as she turned to Samurai. "So, uh, are you willing to make it a one-on-one battle then?" she politely asked.

"Uh, I guess?" Samurai replied awkwardly.

"Alright!" Misty yelled as she turned back to the middle once more. "This will be a one-on-one battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and Samurai from Viridian Forest!" she declared. "Send out your Pokemon and begin the match!" she announced.

"Alright, Pikachu! Let's do this!" Ash yelled as he pointed to the battle field.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he jumped forward and landed on one of the blocks in the pool on all fours.

"Alright then! I choose you: Shedinja!" Samurai yelled as he threw a pokeball towards the swimming pool.

The pokeball opened and a white light emerged, which started morphing into some form. The light faded and revealed an exoskeleton-like Pokemon with two wings and three tips on each. It had a hole in between the wings and narrow, slit-like eyes. Almost its entire body was light brown, except for its abdomen, which was gray.

"She – Dinja!" the Pokemon called out as it hovered in front of Samurai.

"What kind of Pokemon is that?" Ash curiously asked as he pulled out his Pokedex and pointed it to Shedinja.

"_Shedinja, the Shed Pokemon._" The Pokedex's metallic voice started. "_Shedinja's hard body doesn't move - not even a twitch. In fact, its body appears to be merely a hollow shell. It is believed that this Pokémon will steal the spirit of anyone peering into its hollow body from its back._" It explained.

"Wow," Ash exclaimed as he put his Pokedex back into his pocket. "First time I've heard of a Shedinja." He admitted. "But it doesn't matter! Pikachu: Use Thunderbolt!" he ordered as he pointed towards Shedinja.

"Pika!" Pikachu complied as he jumped into the air. "Pi – Ka – CHUUU!" he exclaimed as he unleashed his Thunderbolt attack on Shedinja, whi didn't even try to dodge the oncoming attack.

The Thunderbolt looked as if it was going to hit Shedinja head-on, but instead of shocking the Shed Pokemon; it simply just bounced harmlessly off its body.

"What the heck?" Ash asked in shocked, which was mirrored by Pikachu exclaiming a 'Pika?' as he landed on the block again.

"That attack won't work on my Shedinja, Ash." Samurai exclaimed with crossed arms as he smirked at Ash across the pool. "You see; Shedinja has a special ability called Wonder Guard." He declared.

"Wonder Guard?" Ash repeated in confusion.

"Yes, Wonder Guard. This ability stops attacks that aren't super effective from damaging Shedinja." Samurai explained. "So, that means unless your Pikachu knows Flying-, Rock-, Ghost-, Fire- or Dark-type attacks; he will not be able to injure my Shedinja!" he concluded with a confident smirk.

Ash's eyes widened in shock after Samurai's explanation. "But…Pikachu only knows Electric- and Normal-type attacks!" he realised.

"Now, it's my turn." Samurai exclaimed from the other side of the pool. "Shedinja: Shadow Ball!" he ordered.

"She – Dinja!" Shedinja exclaimed as a black ball of energy started forming in front of the middle of its abdomen. It released the Shadow Ball and sent it soaring over the pool right towards Pikachu.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash quickly ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu complied and jumped to his left, but he got caught in the explosion as the Shadow Ball connected with the block he was previously standing on, sending him flying along the water and coming to a halt against the edge of the pool.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out in worry, but relaxed after he saw Pikachu jump back onto one of the blocks, a couple of burn marks on his body, but ready to continue nevertheless. "Alright, Pikachu! Let's try Thunderbolt again!" he ordered.

"Pi – Ka – CHUUU!" Pikachu exclaimed as he fired off another Thunderbolt, only for the attack to bounce off Shedinja's body again.

"Darn it…" Ash mumbled as he grit his teeth in anger. _'None of Pikachu's attacks will do any damage. I'm only going to wear Pikachu out if it keeps going on like this.'_ He thought. _'Hmm, maybe if I try wearing his Shedinja out…'_ he contemplated mentally. "Alright Pikachu: Use your Agility!" he ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed before disappearing from the spot. He then appeared as multiple blurs around the spot where Shedinja was hovering.

"Shedinja: Use Shadow Ball!" Samurai ordered.

"She – Dinja!" Shedinja exclaimed before it started firing off multiple Shadow Balls at the blurry forms of Pikachu.

Sadly for Shedinja and Samurai, the Shadow Ball attacks didn't connect, and instead just flew harmlessly through the air before exploding a distance away from the ship.

Ash smirked at this. _'It's working!'_ he thought confidently as he saw Shedinja slowly but surely tiring out. "Keep it up, Pikachu! Just a little longer!" he encouraged from his side.

Samurai had by now caught on to what Ash was trying to do and was busy formulating a plan to both stop Pikachu's attack, and keep his Shedinja from exhausting itself. "Shedinja!" he finally yelled. "I want you to fire you Shadow Ball attack into the water instead!" he ordered.

Shedinja complied and turned its body slightly downwards, before it unleashed a Shadow Ball straight into the water.

The attack caused the water to shoot up into the air and Pikachu, who was still using his Agility in a circular pattern, got hit by the splash, which knocked him out of the attack and up into the air.

"Now, Shedinja: Sunny Day and Solarbeam!" Samurai quickly ordered as he pointed towards Pikachu.

"Shedinja!" Shedinja exclaimed as a white orb started appearing in front of its body. A white beam then shot out of the orb and into the sky before the rays of the Sun suddenly got very brighter. "Shedin – JA!" it exclaimed as the halo-like object above its head started glowing white, signalling that it was gathering energy for its next attack. Since Sunny Day was active, this process took much quicker than usual and soon the halo pointed directly at Pikachu, before it fired a white beam of energy towards the yellow mouse.

The Solarbeam connected with Pikachu in mid-air, causing an explosion and a hefty amount of smoke to cover the yellow mouse from Ash's eyes.

"Pikachu!" Ash worriedly called out, with Misty also bearing a worried expression while they intently watched as the smoke started subsiding.

Once the smoke completely subsided, relief washed over Ash and Misty's faces as Pikachu was revealed standing on one of the blocks. But saying that the yellow mouse was worn out, would have been an understatement. There were burn marks all over his body and the smell of scorched fur hanged in the area. By receiving the Solarbeam head-on, Pikachu had received maximum damage and it was clear to all present that if he was struck with another devastating attack like the last one; this match will be over.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled. "Do you think you can go on, buddy?" he asked with concern as he watched Pikachu intently.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he stood down on all fours, electricity sparkling out from his cheeks, signifying that he's fine.

Ash sighed in relief. He didn't want Pikachu to get hurt just because he wouldn't accept defeat. But he was facing an uphill battle at the moment. Pikachu had certainly lost more than a third of his energy, while Samurai's Shedinja has probably lost a bit of energy after firing those multiple Shadow Balls earlier. But the Shed Pokemon hasn't even taken a significant hit, and it probably won't for a quite a while thanks to its Wonder Guard ability and the fact that Ash hasn't found an opening yet.

"Pikachu: Use you Quick Attack to get in close to Shedinja and then use Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed before disappearing from the spot.

"Shedinja: Use Shadow Ball to stop Pikachu!" Samurai countered.

"She – Dinja!" Shedinja exclaimed as it fired off multiple Shadow Balls at Pikachu, but the yellow mouse's speed was too great for the Shed Pokemon and subsequently every Shadow Ball missed its target.

Pikachu suddenly appeared right in front of Shedinja. "Pi – Ka – CHUUU!" he exclaimed as he released the Thunderbolt at close range. Sadly, the results were the same as last time, as the attack simply bounced off of Shedinja's body.

"Aerial Ace!" Samurai yelled his order to Shedinja.

Shedinja disappeared from the spot, only to bang into Pikachu a moment later, sending the yellow mouse plunging into the water.

Ash and Pikachu were lucky. Since Aerial Ace was executed close range, it didn't have nearly enough power and speed behind it to seriously injure the yellow mouse. But while Pikachu fell into the water, Ash made a discovery of sorts.

As Pikachu fell into the water, some stray droplets splashed up against Shedinja, causing several sparks to emit from the Shed Pokemon while it slightly recoiled from pain.

'_That's it!'_ Ash thought as his eyes widened slightly at the discovery. _'Shedinja is immune to most ATTACKS! But not from the elements around us! So, if I can get it wet and get Pikachu to shock it…!'_ he concluded as a small smirk appeared on his face.

Pikachu's emergence from the water broke his thoughts. The yellow mouse landed on one of the blocks and shook his body to get some excess water out of his fur.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled out. "Listen closely, buddy. I think I've got a way to turn this thing around!" he informed Pikachu, who looked slightly over his shoulder at his Master in anticipation of the new plan. He then proceeded to whisper, seemingly to himself. But as soon as he stopped whispering, Pikachu nodded his head in understanding before turning back to Shedinja.

Yes, to the normal eye it looked as if Ash was talking to himself, but with the bond that he and Pikachu share, as well as the yellow mouse's acute sense of hearing; Pikachu could hear every word that his Master whispered, and both understood the new plan of action.

"Alright, let's do it!" Ash exclaimed as he pointed towards Shedinja.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed as he used Quick Attack and darted towards Shedinja. As he ran in a straight line towards the Shed Pokemon, he tilted his tail down, effectively scooping water up and splashing it towards Shedinja.

"Shedinja: Use your Shadow Ball!" Samurai countered.

Shedinja complied and fired off multiple Shadow Balls towards Pikachu but the yellow mouse dodged left and right while still dousing the Shed Pokemon with water.

"Alright, Pikachu. Use Thunderbolt!" Ash ordered when Pikachu was about halfway between him and Shedinja.

"Pi – Ka – CHUU!" Pikachu exclaimed as he unleashed a vicious Thunderbolt on Shedinja.

"Shedinja! Counter with Shadow Ball!" Samurai quickly ordered, which Shedinja complied to as it released a powerful ball of black energy towards the oncoming Thunderbolt attack.

The two attacks' collision caused an explosion and a ball of smoke to appear above the swimming pool, from which both Pikachu as well as Shedinja jumped out of.

Ash saw this as the perfect opening. "Pikachu! Grab Shedinja and dive underwater with it!" he quickly ordered.

Pikachu heard his Master's order seconds before Samurai could counter, and he proceeded in grabbing Shedinja by its wings and stand on its back, effectively riding the Shed Pokemon down until both of them submerged under the water. Both pokemon jumped out moments later, though, and landed on opposite blocks in the pool.

"What's the deal. Ash?" Samurai asked in confusion. "What's the point of soaking our pokemon?" he inquired further.

Ash, on the other hand, was smirking back at Samurai. "Did you notice, Samurai, that Shedinja is soaking wet?" he asked in an innocent voice. His smirk grew even wider when he saw the Bug Trainer nod. "And WATER conducts what, Samurai?" he asked as his smirk radiated confidence.

"What a stupid question." Samurai retorted. "Water conducts…" he started, before his eyes grew comically wide "ELECTRICITY!?" he yelled out in shock.

Ash's smirk quickly turned into a teethy grin as Samurai realised what that meant. "Pikachu: Use Thunder…" he casually ordered.

Pikachu had a smirk on his face as electricity started emitting out of his cheeks, causing Samurai's eyes to widen even more.

"Shedinja: Solarbeam!" he quickly yelled out in retaliation.

"Pikaaaaaaa…"

"Shedinnnn"

"CHUUU!" "JAAAA!"

Since Sunny Day was still active, the Solarbeam and Thunder attacks were released simultaneously and shot forwards to the other. But instead of colliding with each other, they shot past each other, en route to their respective enemies at the moment.

"WATCH OUT!" both Ash and Samurai yelled at their respective pokemon, but it proved in vain, as the attacks collided with the pokemon, resulting in two huge explosions that covered the entire battle field with smoke. Both Pikachu and Shedinja fell out of the cloud moments later and landed in the water with a splash, knocked out.

"This battle is a draw!" Misty announced after closer inspection of Pikachu and Shedinja, thus concluding the battle.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled out as he skipped from one block in the pool to another until he reached Pikachu. "Are you okay, buddy?" he asked as he gently picked the yellow mouse up into his arms.

"Pika…" Pikachu groggily replied as he looked up at Ash.

"You were awesome out there. I'm very proud of you, Pikachu." Ash said with a sincere smile, cradling the yellow mouse against him. Looking over to the edge if the pool, he saw Samurai recalling his Shedinja back into its pokeball, and hopped from block-to-block over to him.

"Thank you, Shedinja." Samurai said as he looked at Shedinja's pokeball. "That was an awesome battle." He added as he clipped the pokeball back onto his belt. He looked up and saw Ash approaching him. "Hey there, Ash. How's Pikachu doing?" he inquired as Ash stopped in front of him.

"He's gonna be just fine, right Pikachu?" Ash stated as he looked at Pikachu in his arms.

"Pikachu." Pikachu replied with a nod of his head.

"Anyway," Ash started again. "I want to thank you for a great battle, Samurai!" he said as he stuck his right hand out towards Samurai.

Samurai looked at Ash's hand for a moment, before a smile etched its way onto his face. "My real name is Yuchihoshi." He stated. "And ditto here, Ash. Thank you for an awesome battle!" he added as he took Ash's hand and shook it.

Ash smiled warmly. "Thank you, Yuchihoshi." He replied as Misty stepped up next to him.

"But man, I still can't believe you managed to draw with my Shedinja." Yuchihoshi whined as he crossed his arms and put his right hand on his chin in thought. "I mean, it's immune to almost every attack that exists, and here you almost defeat it with an Electric attack…" he mumbled.

"Hehe, well, if there wasn't any water nearby, I think me and Pikachu would have lost for sure…" Ash replied while sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

They then heard clapping and cheering and, upon inspecting what it was, found that the entire pool battle field was surrounded by passengers who had gathered to witness the battle, applauding them. They had been so caught up in the battle that they had failed to notice anything else.

"Come on, you two," Misty suddenly spoke up. "Let's get your pokemon to the Pokemon Center on board to make sure they're fine." She suggested, to which Ash and Yuchihoshi nodded in agreement as the three of them made their way towards the Pokemon Center.

After having both Pikachu and Shedinja checked out by Nurse Joy; Ash, Misty and Yuchihoshi proceeded to the restaurant on the deck, where they ordered some dinner and started catching up.

It turned out that Yuchihoshi followed Ash's progress up until the conclusion of the Indigo League. So, he then learned of Ash's victory in the Orange League, and his Top Eight finish in the Silver Conference, as well as his recently challenged Title of Orange League Champion, which was why he and Misty were currently on this ship.

Yuchihoshi, on the other hand, had travelled through three regions, namely Kanto, Johto and surprisingly Hoenn as well, which is where he caught his Shedinja. This piece of news made Ash whine loudly at the fact that he wanted to go to the Hoenn region as well. He was currently on his way to the Sevi Islands for a little R & R. They also learned that Yuchihoshi didn't compete for Gym Badges like Ash. He instead travelled through regions in search of new Bug- type Pokemon, which led to the latest discussion between the three of them…

"So, you must have caught tons of new Bug-type pokemon then?" Ash asked after taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

"To be honest," Yuchihoshi started as he looked out over the ocean. "Not really. At first, I tried catching every Bug pokemon I came across!" he excitedly stated. "But after a while, I started realising that it isn't just about catching a whole lot of pokemon, it's about raising your pokemon well and working hard to reach your goals." He philosophised with a smile. "So, it's, uh, kind of embarrassing…" he started with an embarrassed chuckle. "But I only have four pokemon." He added as he scratched his cheek.

"That's awesome!" Ash remarked about Yuchihoshi's point of view regarding pokemon. "So…can I see them?" he asked with a childish glint in his eyes.

"Sure!" Yuchihoshi replied as he practically jumped out of his chair. "Alright," he started as he grabbed four pokeballs from his belt. "Come on out, everyone!" he yelled as he threw the pokeballs into the air.

The pokeballs opened in mid-air and, in a bright flash of light, four pokemon emerged and formed completely on the ground next to Yuchihoshi. The first pokemon was one that Ash knew and battled in the past: Pinsir. The second pokemon was Shedinja. The third pokemon was one that Ash had battled twice in his journey through the Johto region: A Scizor. The third and last pokemon in the row was a lot more familiar to Ash; seeing as he had one as well: A Heracross.

"Ash, Misty, Pikachu:" Yuchihoshi started. "I'd like you to meet my other pokemon: Pinsir, Scizor and Heracross!" He introduced the three new pokemon.

The three said pokemon all greeted the gang with their respective cries.

"Hi there!" Ash and Misty simultaneously greeted them with a wave of their hands.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu also greeted with a wave of his paw.

"Say Yuchihoshi," Ash started as he gave the four pokemon a curious glance. "Didn't you have a Metapod as well?" he inquired as he turned his attention to Yuchihoshi.

"Yeah, I did…" Yuchihoshi started. "But you see, it eventually evolved into a Butterfree and I decided to release it to go find a mate…" he explained with a half-hearted smile. "I mean, what type of Trainer would I be if I kept my pokemon away from happiness and starting a family?" he asked, more to himself than to Ash. He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Ash standing in front of him with a smile of understanding on his face.

"You did the right thing." Ash reassured Yuchihoshi as he let go of his shoulder.

"Thanks, Ash." Yuchihoshi replied with a small smile of his own.

The three friends talked a little bit longer into the night, with Ash and Misty telling Yuchihoshi about their journey through the various islands in the Orange Archipelago. Ash also revealed that he too released his Butterfree to be with his mate, and that he also captured a Heracross while he travelled through the Johto region. They hit the sack at around 23:30 that evening, after all three of them talked to their hearts' content…

"Well, this is our stop…" Ash remarked as he, Misty, Pikachu and Yuchihoshi stood in front of the ship's exit.

The ship came to its stop in Mandarin Island Harbour by 18:00 the following evening, which was where Ash and Misty were going to be staying until they attended a special meeting to inform Ash of the arrangements for his big battle.

"So, where are you going from here, Yuchihoshi?" Misty asked.

"Well, like I said last night; I'm actually on my way to the Sevi Islands." Yuchihoshi started. "But, after I heard about your experiences here in the Orange Islands; I've decided to head to Murcott Island first!" he informed them. "You said that there are some rare Bug-type pokemon there, right?" he clarified, to which Ash nodded affirmatively. "Well, after I'm done there, I'll probably make my way towards Valencia Island, which is where I have to board a ship sailing to the Sevi Islands." He concluded.

"Well, good luck, Yuchihoshi." Ash said as he stuck his hand out to Yuchihoshi.

"Thanks, Ash." Yuchihoshi said as he grabbed Ash's hand. "And good luck with your match. I know you'll do great!" he said as the two of them shook hands.

After Ash, Misty and Pikachu finished greeting Yuchihoshi; they got off of the ship and waited as it started its voyage once more before finally waving good bye to him as the ship disappeared on the horizon, en route to its next destination.

The group then started making their way towards the Mandarin Island Pokemon Center, where they were planning on staying for the night.

"You know," Ash started while stretching his arms above his head as they walked. "I'm pretty hungry right about now." He remarked as he looked over to Misty, who was walking next to him.

"Yeah, me too." Misty agreed with a small yawn. "Man, the time we spent on that ship really made me lazy." She remarked as they got closer to the front doors of the Pokemon Center.

"Yeah, you got that right!" Ash agreed before they started laughing as they walked through the Pokemon Center's front doors.

"Misty! Wow, what a pleasant surprise!" they heard a voice say, which ceased their laughing, because that voice sounded very familiar. It sounded like the voice of…

"Rudy?" Ash blurted out in surprise.

Yes, in front of them, stood Rudy, the third crew member of the Orange League, with a smug smirk on his face…

**Uh – Oh. What is Rudy doing here? How will this affect Ash and Misty? What lies in store for our couple? Read the next chapter, I guess…**

**BUT! Before you do that, please review! You have no idea how much your reviews encourage me to keep writing and update faster. So, review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Well, as promised, here's chapter 25. As I said, this chapter isn't nearly as long as chapter 24, but I hope you guys enjoy it. Also, I'm going to my dad's for the next two weeks or so, so I won't be able to write a lot…but I promise that this story will not be abandoned, okay?**

**Good, anyways, enjoy!**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 25: Finally!:**

**Previously…**

"_**Misty! Wow, what a pleasant surprise!" they heard a voice say, which ceased their laughing, because that voice sounded very familiar. It sounded like the voice of…**_

"_**Rudy?" Ash blurted out in surprise.**_

_**Yes, in front of them, stood Rudy, the third crew member of the Orange League, with a smug smirk on his face…**_

"Rudy?" Misty echoed Ash's previous outcry as she looked at the boy in front of her with some degree of shock, her mouth agape and eyes wide.

Ash and Pikachu just continued staring at Rudy in shock. Of all the people that could be waiting for them here; it had to be him. An uneasy feeling immediately made its way to his stomach and chest area. He just knew that this spelled trouble. Looking over at Misty, he saw her expression of shock, which actually had a hint of pleasantness in it. He resisted the urge to glare at her and Rudy as the crew member suddenly spoke up again.

"Yep, that's me!" Rudy smugly replied as he walked over towards the three of them, more specifically to Misty. "It's nice to see you again, Misty." He said as he stopped in front of her. He then did something that surprised all three of the visitors to their core: He stuck his right hand out, and gently grabbed Misty's left one. Bringing the hand to closer to his face, he said: "It's been a while, hasn't it?" before he placed a soft kiss on the top of her hand, never once breaking eye contact with the red head.

This action got quite a few contrasting reactions from the three respective visitors.

Pikachu merely looked at the scene unfold in shock with wide eyes.

Misty, however, reacted much differently. Her eyes widened even more, her jaw slacked completely and her cheeks were burning redder than a ripe tomato. She definitely wasn't used to THIS kind of attention and affection, that's for sure. Rudy was very different from Ash. Ash was timid and rarely showed any affection. Rudy, on the other hand, was charming and knew exactly what to do when it came to the opposite sex. She simply continued staring at Rudy in shock after his actions.

Ash's reaction, on the other hand, was one of extreme rage. As soon as Rudy kiss Misty's hand; he released a low-pitched, predator-like growl. He then proceeded to glare daggerly in the crew member's direction, trying to kill him with his eyes, but sadly, he was paid no mind. To be honest, he was completely ignored by Rudy.

Deciding that Rudy's now done enough; Ash suddenly swung his arm between him and Misty, effectively breaking his grip on the red head's hand.

"So," Ash started as he kept his enraged glare fixed on Rudy. "What're YOU doing here, Rudy?" he asked rather harshly as his eyes narrowed further.

"Hm?" Rudy exclaimed as he suddenly turned his gaze away from Misty and onto Ash. He then looked at the Pokemon Trainer expressionlessly for a few moments, before a smug smile appeared on his face. "Oh, it's you. Ash." He nonchalantly remarked. "I didn't even notice you until now!" he added with a smirk as he looked down at Ash.

"What do you mean you haven't noticed me!?" Ash irritatedly asked. "I've been standing here the whole time!" he yelled into Rudy's face.

"Okay…well, 'Hi' then." Rudy casually said before turning back to Misty, causing Ash to seethe in anger.

"Hey!" Ash yelled at Rudy, getting his attention again.

"Yes?" Rudy asked as he turned back to face Ash. "What is it, Ash?" he asked in an exasperated tone of voice.

Ash growled at Rudy because of the way he answered his call. "You still haven't answered my question! What're you doing here?" he repeated his question, albeit a bit louder than the previous time.

"Oh, that's simple." Rudy stated. "You see, the news about the Trainer beating Drake spread through the Orange Archipelago quickly, along with the news that he would be facing the Orange League Champion in the near future. So, we, the Orange League Gym Leaders, were informed that we were all obliged to welcome the Orange League Champion, which surprisingly is you." He said pointing to Ash. "Here on Mandarin Island." He continued. "And since I live the closest; I happened to be here first. The others are on their way and should be here by tomorrow." He concluded.

"Oh, oka-HEY!" Ash suddenly erupted. "What do you mean 'which surprisingly is me'?" he irritatedly inquired.

"It means that I'm surprised that you became Champion, Ash." Rudy again replied in a nonchalant tone of voice. "I didn't think you had it in you to beat the rest of the Orange League Gym Leaders. I thought you beat me by sheer luck, to be honest." he truthfully stated. "I'm even more surprised that you managed to defeat Drake in a full six-on-six battle." He casually added.

"WHAT!?" Ash growled at Rudy, anger evident on his face and in his eyes. "I'm a great Pokemon Trainer! And I deserve everything I've achieved so far!" he proudly stated as he glared at Rudy, his teeth grinding and his balled fists shaking in fury.

"Yes well, we'll see." Rudy replied before turning his attention back to Misty once again, earning him a growl from Ash at being ignored. "Anyway, how have you been doing, Misty?" he charmingly asked as he grasped the red head's hands in his, staring at her with fascination.

Misty, who was still in her own little world after Rudy's earlier actions, looked up at Rudy's sparkly smile with a slight blush still evident on her cheeks. "Uh…I've been good…" she silently remarked before she nervously laughed.

"That's good!" Rudy stated with a slight laugh. "Anyway, seeing as I am a Gym Leader, I have my own private suite right next to the Pokemon Center!" he informed Ash and Misty. "So, how would you like to come over for some dinner?" he asked, holding Misty's hands closer to him and looking at her in anticipation.

"Oh!" Misty exclaimed. "You mean Ash, Pikachu and me?" she clarified.

"Well, uh…" Rudy uncomfortably started. In all honesty, he really couldn't care less about Ash and his little Pikachu. And he honestly had no plans of inviting them for dinner as well, but how does he explain that Misty without ruining his chances of her agreeing? Luckily, he was saved of answering that question by a resounding…

"WHAT!?" Ash suddenly yelled out from where he was standing, gaining the attention of Rudy, Misty and Pikachu.

"What's the matter, Ash?" Misty asked as she frowned curiously at Ash's outburst.

"I don't want to eat dinner with him!" Ash yelled in rejection as he pointed a finger towards Rudy.

Rudy was smirking inwardly at this. _'Perfect! This way I'll have Misty all to myself and I'll also have Ash out of my hair.'_ He thought.

"Why not, Ash?" Misty curiously asked. "It'll be a nice way to spend the evening. We've been stuck on a boat for almost a week, so to just relax and have a nice home cooked meal will be great!" she debated. "So, thank you, Rudy. We will gladly have dinner with you!" she politely stated, accepting the invitation for both her and Ash

"Hey, wait!" Ash yelled in disagreement. "I never said that we're going to have dinner with him!" he informed Misty.

"Oh come on, Ash." Misty exclaimed. "What's wrong with having dinner with Rudy?" she curiously asked as she looked as Ash with her brow lifted out of curiosity. "We're having dinner with you, Rudy." She repeated for both of them once more.

"No, we're not!" Ash objected loudly while crossing his arms.

"Yes, we are." Misty hit back, a glare slowly starting to form on her face. "It'll be fun, Ash." She added.

"No!" Ash vehemently objected. "I refuse!" he stubbornly added.

The glare that slowly started forming on Misty's face was now a full-out scowl directed at Ash. She was now slowly, but very steadily, getting more and more irritated with Ash's rude behaviour towards Rudy's invitation. It was just dinner, for crying out loud! Why was he being so objecting towards it? He loved food and would never hesitate for even a second when it came to filling his stomach, so what was wrong with him?

She kept her glare fixed on Ash for a few moments longer, before huffing and closing her eyes. "Suit yourself, then." She stated with a shrug of her shoulders. "I will be joining you for dinner, Rudy." She informed Rudy as she turned to face him. "If that's okay with you?" she added quickly, fearing that she might have crossing the line in just assuming that she's still invited after Ash refused to have dinner with him.

Rudy smirked outwardly at this, while his inward smirk grew comically wild. This was excellent! He should actually thank Ash for being such an idiot. It spared him of trying to explain to Misty that he actually just invited her for dinner, and not her two friends. "Of course, Misty." He cheerily answered. "That's just perfect. I would be happy to have you over for dinner!" he added with a friendly smile.

"Misty!" Ash yelled out in shock and anger. "What are you doing!?" he asked incredulously.

"I'm organising my dinner." Misty nonchalantly answered back.

"So you're going with him?" Ash asked in shock as he pointed to Rudy, to which Misty replied by nodding affirmatively. "But why?" he asked again.

"Because you're being childish, Ash." Misty answered back. "And I would enjoy a nice, home cooked meal." She added.

"But Misty!" Ash started his objections.

"Come on, Rudy." Misty started, ignoring Ash's protests. "Let's go." She said as she waited for Rudy to lead her to his suite.

Ash stared at Misty, a look of pure shock on his face. He looked down at the ground, the hurt, of Misty choosing Rudy above him, evident in his eyes. "Come on, Pikachu." He started in a defeated tone. "Let's go. We're camping out." He said before turning on his heels and walking back out of the Pokemon Center, with Pikachu hanging on his right shoulder.

Misty gave Ash and Pikachu a glance from the corner of her eye, seeing them head right after exiting the Pokemon Center.

"Well, come on, Misty." Rudy started as he too turned to the front doors of the Pokemon Center. "Follow me!" he smugly said as he started making his way out of the Pokemon Center, with Misty in tow…

"Well Misty, I hope you enjoy this meal!" Rudy stated with a smug smirk on his face from where he sat.

He and Misty had made their way next door to his private suite. And, true to the name, it was indeed a suite. Grand leather furniture decorated the large living room area of the suite, with a red carpet underneath. There were various paintings on the walls with a big, surround sound television set against the wall. There was a luxurious bedroom with a queen-sized bed and the softest sheets and pillows, accompanied by a rather large bathroom inside the room with a large Jacuzzi, a shower, toilet and sink. The kitchen was also expensively decorated with finest and most up-to-date appliances, along with antique cutlery and plates. And then there was finally the dining room, where he and Misty were currently sitting at the table in the middle of the room, which was decorated with a few lighted candles and all sorts of divine, luxurious meals for them to feast on.

When Misty had asked him why this suite was so expensively decorated, he merely answered by saying that he is paid a pretty decent salary and that he is a luxurious man that likes to spoil himself as well as his guests.

"Thanks, it looks delicious." Misty politely exclaimed from where she sat at the other end of the table, at the opposite side of Rudy.

The room was then filled with sound of food being served into their plates, courtesy of Rudy, and the air was soon filled with the delicious smells of the various dishes on their respective plates. He soon poured them both a glass of sparkling grape juice, seeing as they clearly weren't grown-ups yet.

"Dig in!" Rudy announced after he sat down in his chair again, looking over the table at the red head.

"Thank you very much." Misty exclaimed with a slight bow of her head, before she scooped some food up with her fork. Before she could get it in her mouth though, the sound of thunder rang through the building, causing her to startle on drop her fork back down onto her plate with a clatter.

"Hmm." Rudy exclaimed as he swallowed a fork full of food before he turned his head to the glass doors that led to the patio, which had a gorgeous view of Mandarin Island's harbour and the ocean below them. Unfortunately it was evening, so they couldn't see anything outside. "It looks like another thunderstorm's on its way." He remarked as he looked through the glass door at the lightning in the distance. "They're quite common around these parts, because of the humidity." He explained as he turned back to Misty.

The red head, however, barely paid attention to anything Rudy said after she heard the word 'thunderstorm'. She was currently staring out through the glass doors, with a worried and sombre expression on her face, to the thunder clouds that were rapidly descending upon the island, as she could see the lightning bolts cracking closer and closer.

"Hey, don't worry, Misty." Rudy suddenly spoke up after seeing the worried expression on Misty's face. "We'll be perfectly safe in here!" he reassured her. "The storm will never get to us inside this building, so don't worry!" he added.

Misty turned her attention to Rudy and gave him a weak smile and nod, before she looked down at her plate of food again.

"You know," Rudy started again. "My sister would really like to see you again!" he informed the red head. "Maybe we should go to the Gym tomorrow and…" he rambled on.

Misty slowly took a small bite of her food and turned her attention back to the storm clouds outside while slowly chewing. _'Ash…'_ was the only word she thought as she kept staring out to the raging thunderclouds, oblivious to Rudy's continuous ranting about who cares what…

Ash and Pikachu, in the meantime, were putting their resourcefulness to the test. Ash had proceeded to lead them down the shoreline as he sulkily looked down at the ground in defeat, Misty's 'betrayal' still fresh in his memory.

Pikachu, however, had been paying more attention to their surroundings and soon noticed the thunderclouds approaching them from afar. He had tried warning his Master several times. Ash had finally given the yellow mouse his attention after the seventh failed attempt and finally took notice of the oncoming thunderstorm, which, by that point, had moved in overhead with a slight drizzle.

Ash scurried and quickly found them some shelter: A hollowed out cave on the side of the beach, which was where the two of them currently sat, trying to light a fire after they had found some shored branches.

"Darn it…" Ash muttered as he hit two little stones together in hope of igniting the packed wood with a spark, asking himself why he didn't bring Cyndaquil along on the trip for situations like these. "Yes!" he cheered when a spark finally ignited the pile of wood, creating a fire and instantly warming his cold body.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, mirroring Ash's cheer.

"Alright," Ash started as he sat down on the ground, pulling his backpack closer. "Let's see what we've got to eat." He stated as he started rummaging through his bag. "Okay…one can of peaches." He said as he pulled the said can out of his bag and placed it on the ground before him. His excellent resourcefulness sure was ego-boosting in this cold weather. However, his ego-boosting resourcefulness quickly vanished when he realised that they only had that can of peaches for dinner tonight.

Sighing in defeat, the two of them proceeded to sit around the fire. Ash opened the can of peaches and started counting how many slices were in the can. He then divided the slices equally between himself and Pikachu.

"I'm sorry, buddy." Ash apologised as he took the remaining slice and bit off half of it before handing the other half to Pikachu. "I completely forgot to stock up on pokemon food before we left home." He explained as he looked down in shame. This meant that he and Pikachu were going to have to survive on the small amount of peaches and what little water he had left in canteen for the night.

"Pika Pika, Pikapi." Pikachu reassured Ash as he patted his back to comfort his Master and assure him that it was fine.

"Thanks, pal." Ash said as he smiled down at Pikachu. "I promise I'll some food for you first thing tomorrow!" he promised the yellow mouse, who nodded in understanding.

They ate a few of their peach slices in silence for a while before spoke up again.

"Well, at least Misty's nice and cosy…" he muttered begrudgingly, but deep down, he was glad that the red head was out of the storm and inside a building where he knew that she would be safe and warm, even though it was with Rudy.

He was snapped out of his thoughts though, as a shadow suddenly appeared in the cave's entrance, although it was too dark for him to make out who or what it was.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu suddenly exclaimed excitedly as he stood up on his hind legs.

"Pikachupi?" Ash repeated. "Wait a sec, that's…MISTY?" he quickly realised as he turned his attention back to the mysterious figure.

The figure stepped forward into the light which was emitted from the fire and it was indeed Misty, soaking wet and carrying a small package in her hand.

"Hey there, you two." Misty greeted the two of them with a small smile as she walked around the fire and sat down in between Ash and Pikachu.

"What're you doing here, Misty?" Ash curiously asked. "And how'd you even find us?" he quickly added.

"Well…" Misty trailed off as she gathered her thoughts. "After the thunderstorm got kind of bad, I started worrying about you two. So I came out here to look for you!" she informed them. "I remember you walking this way after you left the Pokemon Center, so that helped me a little." She added. "And I found you quickly because I noticed the light from the fire, so I followed it! And here I am." She concluded. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot!" she quickly added as she held the package she had been carrying out to Ash. "Here you go. I thought that the two of you might be hungry, so I brought you some leftovers from the Pokemon Center and some pokemon food for Pikachu!" she explained.

"Misty…" Ash trailed off, awe evident in his voice, as he gently took the package out of her hands. But memories of her and Rudy quickly clouded his awe, and instead replaced it with bitterness. "And what about your DATE with Rudy?" he bitterly exclaimed as he put the package down in front of his legs and scowled at the ground.

Misty's eyes widened a bit after hearing Ash so bitter, and suddenly felt guilty for choosing dinner with Rudy over Ash. She let out a long breath before she spoke again. "I left." Was her simple answer.

Ash turned to her with a confused look on his face. "You left?" he repeated curiously.

"Yep!" she casually answered as she opened the package and gave Pikachu his opened can of pokemon food.

"Just like that?" Ash inquired with a lifted brow.

"Uh – huh." Misty exclaimed as she pulled her knees up to her chest and blew on it with her breath.

"But why?" Ash asked as he stared at her.

Misty glanced over at him out of the corner of her eye, before she sighed and looked back down at her knee. "Because I…" she trailed off, thinking about the right words. "I-I'd rather be out here with you guys, than with Rudy in there…" she answered softly. "And besides, he's too stuck up for my tastes. He can keep his fancy suite and food!" she added with a soft chuckle. To her surprise, Ash also let out a light chuckle next to her. Turning her head over to him, they both looked at each other before they both started laughing out loud.

After a few moments of laughter echoing through the cave, it slowly started dying down, until nothing but the rain and wind outside accompanied by the crackling fire could be heard.

Misty, now bearing a slight grin, silently looked at Ash, who mirrored her actions precisely. After a few more seconds of just looking at each other, Misty stretched her legs out in front of her again, before slowly turning herself towards Ash. Sitting up on her knees, she slowly crawled up to him on her hands and knees, before she slowly pushed herself up against him. She looked into his eyes for a second, before her gaze turned to his slightly-shocked-parted lips. Holding her breath, she slowly tilted her head to the right, parted her lips slightly, and inched her face closer and closer to him, closing her eyes, until her lips softly brushed up against his, before finally pressing up tenderly against it, their lips locked together in a sweet, innocent kiss.

Their lips stayed against the other's for about six seconds, before Misty slowly pulled her face away from his, her cheeks pink and her heart beating feverishly in her throat. Looking up at Ash, she saw that his facial expression was exactly the same as what it was before she closed her eyes and kissed him, except that his cheeks also had a bright pink hue horizontally over them. She then smiled as she shyly looked down at the ground in front of her, her blush only intensifying.

"Uhm…" she heard Ash exclaim next to her. Quickly looking up at him, she saw that he was running his hand through his hair and looking down at his shoes.

Seeing that Misty was looking at him expectantly, Ash took a deep breath and met her gaze. "Uh, can w-we maybe…do that again?" he stuttered out, causing his blush to flare up even more.

"You mean k-kiss?" an equally flustered Misty stuttered out. Seeing Ash weakly nod, she swallowed hard before taking a deep breath. "Okay…" she whispered out, before carefully crawling over to him again.

She slowly descended her face down in front of his, before she tilted her head to the right once more, but this time, Ash responded by tilting his head to his right as well, before he slowly moved his face towards Misty's, both of them with their eyes shut, until their lips tenderly pushed up together again. But this time, both Ash and Misty were slightly smiling against the other's mouth, keeping their lips bound together like that and enjoying this new, prickling sensation they both experienced.

Pikachu had in the meantime moved to the other side of the fire to give Ash and Misty some privacy, and was busy eating his pokemon food while looking out at the raging storm outside through the cave's entrance…

**Please review and give me your opinions.**

**Also, thanks to all of you that have sent me you teams for Ash! It has been duly noted and taken into consideration.**

**So, until next time, stay safe, and remember to review!**

**Cheers!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Yeah, yeah. It's been about a year since I've last updated, hasn't it?**

**Look, real life has just started dropping down all of a sudden. In between college and well, college, there really isn't that much free time left for me to write in. I've been trying, really I have. But when I try to get a few hours' worth of writing in after getting home in the evenings, I'm just so tired! I apologise and really do hope that all of you understand.**

**I do intend to finish this story though, but I'm cutting it off somewhere along the line and will be posting a sequel when I have some more time available.**

**I also tore my ACL recently, and had some reconstruction done. So I've been pretty bed-ridden these last few weeks. Mostly in pain though, so writing was yet again, **_**hard**_**.**

**I'll also be starting to reply to your reviews from now on by means of PM.**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

**I do not own any characters or events related to Pokemon, this story is solely fan made.**

**Changing Ways: Chapter 26: Arrangements and violent engagements:**

"Hmm…" Misty groaned as she stirred within her sleeping bag, the light from outside shining in her eyes and disturbing her rest. "Hmm…" she groaned again as she tried burying her face into her bag, which acted as her makeshift pillow when camping out. But it was to no avail, as the light engulfed her entirety. "It's too early…" she groaned into her bag as she forced her eyes open, albeit half-lidded.

She was lying flat on her stomach with her arms holding her bag up to her face. She groaned once more before she turned her head to the left, where the source of her irritation was: The cave's entrance.

The storm that raged outside last night had fully dissipated and it its place the sun was shining in its full glory once more, a common occurrence in this tropical region. Added to this was a beautiful glowing hue that covered most of the islands. This was caused by the sun that shined down on the vegetation and just about everything else which was covered in a thin layer of mist that was left behind by last night's storm, further appealing these islands' beauty. Back to Misty, however…

"Stupid sun…" she grumbled before turning her head the other way and closing her eyes, deeply craving for an extra hour or so of sleep.

Before she fully succumbed to slumber again, her mind informed her that something seemed out of place before she closed her eyes.

She slowly forced her eyes open again and immediately found what was out of place, which caused her eyes to widen considerably…

There, right in front of her and only mere inches from her face, was Ash, who was still sleeping soundly, unaware of everything around him, or the fact that his face was almost touching the red-head's. Pikachu was sleeping on the other side of Ash, curled up against the back of his Master's head for some extra warmth he had needed during the night.

Misty's face slowly started reddening, up until the point where it was almost as bright as her hair, and she was just about to jump up, scream, and punt the side of Ash's face in with her heel, until a small voice interrupted her train of thought, that is. Images of leaving Rudy's mansion, searching for Ash and Pikachu in the illumination of the oncoming thunderstorm, finding them in this cave they were in now, their kiss, all started running through her mind, recapping her memories of last night. This allowed her to calm down exponentially and she proceeded to let go of the deep breath she was unconsciously held in.

Now that she was feeling a lot more calm and confident, she turned her attention back to the boy in front of her. His calm (and somewhat childish) expression caused a small smile to appear on her face, growing bigger and bigger with each passing second as she started to realise what last night actually meant to them. Biting her lower lip for just an instant, she then proceeded with her plan of action and slowly lifted her arm, guiding her hand towards Ash's face. She then carefully lowered her hand until it softly brushed against his cheek, before she very gently traced her fingernails along the length of his jaw, stopping at his chin, and ran her fingertips back up to his cheek again.

Misty's actions caused Ash to stir slightly, but nonetheless he didn't wake up. This was playing out perfectly in Misty's opinion, as she continued to gently run her fingernails over his face. After the third time she did this, Misty noticed that goose bumps had started appearing on Ash's arms, signifying that he was subconsciously enjoying her little game. This caused the red-head to chuckle quietly, before she ceased her game and instead opted to rest her palm on his jaw and lovingly rub his cheek with her thumb.

With the new weight resting on his face, Ash started stirring once more. But this time, he actually started waking up…

He slowly started opening his eyes, before he let out a long, dragged-out yawn, his eyes again closing in the process. Hearing soft giggling, he half-opened his eyes again, only to lock eyes with Misty's slightly-sparkling eyes and the serene smile playing on her lips. He also noticed that her face was very, VERY close to his. It was at that moment that he noticed something else as well. A slight warm pressure on his cheek: _'Misty's hand!'_ he inwardly thought as a small wave of panic formed inside of him.

A small blush appeared on his face, and started spreading at a rapid rate. _'Why is Misty so close to me? Why is she smiling at me like that? Why is her HAND ON MY FACE!?'_ were the questions that ran through his head while an expression of pure shock made its way onto his face as he continued staring at the red-head in front of him, his body twitching every-now-and-then, screaming at him to get away. _'Wait a minute…'_ he told himself mentally as he gave the situation some thought. Memories of last night started playing in his mind, which led to him understanding why this was happening.

Now that he was up to date, he noticed that this situation isn't half as bad as he made it out to be. On the contrary, he had to admit that he actually enjoyed Misty touching him. It felt…nice.

He stared at Misty a moment longer, before he had built up enough courage and slowly lifted his hand, gently and shakingly cupping the red-head's cheek. This caused Misty's smile to widen even more, making his stomach involuntary churn in reaction. He nervously smiled back at the red-head, his blush slowly fading away.

The two of them stayed like that for close to a minute, staring at each other, caressing each other's cheek and simply savouring and enjoying the moment.

"Good morning, Ash…" Misty whispered.

"Morning…" Ash whispered back, the two of them still staring at each other, trying not to spoil this little moment.

"Pikaaaaaaa!" Pikachu yawned as he suddenly came into view behind Ash's head, standing on his hind legs while stretching out. Moment ruined…

If they thought that it looked beautiful outside before, Ash, Misty and Pikachu were now certainly convinced that it looked even better from outside the cave. Everywhere they looked there was rocks, vegetation and even ground that shined from the sun's rays. It mirrored an enchanted paradise, with small rainbows forming here and there. In reality, they were actually just walking on the beach.

They were walking back to the Pokemon Center to get some breakfast there. Ash had to attend a meeting with the Gym Leaders of the Orange Islands later today, so Misty had suggested that they eat at the Pokemon Center, because the day could get long, and because neither of them could actually cook, thus it was an unchallenged decision.

It has been a silent walk down the beach so far, with neither Ash nor Misty said anything, while Pikachu also remained silent on his Master's left shoulder, enjoying the scenery. It wasn't that they were uncomfortable.It was just that they felt nothing needed to be said. They enjoyed being in the other's company.

'_If the beach looks this beautiful, I wonder what the forests and meadows look like…'_ Ash wondered as he gazed around them, taking in the breathtaking scene. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a hand softly grab his own. He looked down, before smiling at seeing Misty's hand now gently-but-firmly latched onto his.

He then slowly manoeuvred his hand in hers until he had slacked her grip a small portion, before he gently entwined his fingers with hers and gripped her hand slightly.

This caused Misty to turn her head towards Ash and give him a sweet smile-smirk, which he gladly returned with one of his own. They continued their walk to the Pokemon Center in silence again, but kept a firm grip on each other's hands for the rest of the way.

The familiar building appeared over a dune a while later and the three of them quickly entered it. The Center was completely empty for some reason, so it wasn't hard for them to get to Nurse Joy, who was sitting at the front desk.

"Morning, Nurse Joy." Both Ash and Misty simultaneously greeted as they stopped right in front the desk.

"Pika Pika." Pikachu added his greeting from Ash's shoulder accompanied by a wave of his paw.

"Good morning, you three." Nurse Joy greeted them with her inherited-usual-friendly smile. "Welcome to our Pokemon Center. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"We were wondering if we were still on time for breakfast." Misty asked hopefully.

"Of course you are. Breakfast is served until 10:30." Nurse Joy informed them before pointing to the clock hanging above her head on the wall, which read 09:37.

"Would you also mind to do a check-up on Pikachu here afterwards?" Ash added as he pointed to the yellow mouse situated on his shoulder.

"Yes, of course." Nurse Joy answered affirmatively.

"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy!"

"Pika Pika!"

The three of them thanked Nurse Joy before they made their way over to the cafeteria section of the Pokemon Center.

Ash and Misty got themselves two plates and piled their respective choices on it, while Ash got Pikachu a bowl of Pokemon Food. They then got themselves a table on proceeded to take a seat, with Ash and Pikachu on one side, and Misty on the opposite side of Ash, who removed his hat, backpack and jacket and placed it in a neat heap on the other side of Pikachu.

Ash's plate was filled with two eggs, two pieces of toast and a stack of four pancakes, a relatively small meal compared to the pokemon Trainer's normal standards. Misty opted for a piece of toast, a stack of 4 pancakes and a bowl of cereal to top it off, while both of them had a glass of orange juice as well.

While Ash was known to be quite the passionate eater, he was strangely calm and quiet during this session, only taking small bites of his food. The reason for this? Maybe because he was more busy taking occasional glances at the girl sitting across him, than actually eating his meal.

The same could be said for that girl as well. While she normally didn't eat nearly as much as Ash did, Misty was barely touching her food in this sitting. She was all-too aware of Ash's eyes on her, which made her feel a bit more self-conscious. But, to be honest, it was barely making her feel uncomfortable. It was making her feel…special? She knew that Ash never looked at girls that way. He was just too thick-headed to even NOTICE girls in that way. So, for him to be looking at her like that, meant that she was obviously the first girl he's really ever given thought about. She was special to him.

Ash was also having his own thoughts on the subject. He was actually wishing that they had opened up to each other sooner! He was loving this new side of Misty. She was giving him a very different kind of attention than what he was used to from the red-head, and he absolutely loved it! He also loved giving that same kind of attention right back at her. While he normally didn't do all that mushy stuff, he was more than willing to experiment them with the red-headed Misty.

'_Man, if someone had told me that this being-in-love-stuff would be so great, I would've kissed Misty a long, long time ago…'_ he mentally remarked as he drank some of his juice, before he continued eating his meal at a very sedate pace…

"Boy, I hope this is the right way…" Ash remarked as he looked into the distance in front of him.

"I'm sure it is, Ash." Misty answered from his left. "I mean, Nurse Joy did say that it's this way." She added.

They were currently walking down the beach once again, their hands bound by their entwined fingers. They were on their way to the hall where Ash was supposed to meet the Orange League Gym Leaders in an hour. It was a good thing that they decided to eat at the Pokemon Center this morning, because they didn't even know where this place was! Luckily Nurse Joy was present to come to their rescue, and gave them directions to get to the place. It turns out that this hall was actually just a bit further down the same path by the beach he walked yesterday before he found that cave.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Ash stated as he lifted their hands to face-level, causing a smile to form on Misty's lips.

The red-head gave his hand a gentle squeeze before they settled their hands back down at waist level again.

"My my, Ash." Misty started in a mischievous tone as she smirked at Ash while watching him out of the corner of her eye. "You sure have built up a lot of confidence, haven't you?" she stated as she pointed at their hands with her eyes.

Ash gave Misty a curious look, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Following her gaze, he found himself looking at their hands, as well as understanding what she meant. "Oh!" he clucked in realization. "Hehe, yeah. I guess you can say that…" he sheepishly said as he scratched the back of his head, only to pause in mid-scratch, his sheepish chuckle also ceasing.

Misty gave Ash a curious glance. "And now? What's wrong, Ash?" she asked as she watched his eyes grow wider with a lifted brow.

Ash then suddenly patted himself on the head, his eyes growing even wider after that, which only confused the red-head more. "Hey Pikachu, have you seen my-"he started as he looked over his right shoulder. "Pikachu?" he called out when he noticed a faint outline of Pikachu on his shoulder, where the yellow mouse would normally sit on his back…pack, which he now noticed was also missing in action, along with his…jacket!

"OH NOOOOOO!" he suddenly cried out in horror.

"GYAAAAH!" Misty yelled as she jumped away from Ash, releasing his hand in the process, and fell flat on her butt on the soft sand. "Ash!" she yelled as she glared at the boy. "What was that for!?" she angrily asked as she got up from the ground and rubbed her now-sore butt.

"I forgot my hat at the Pokemon Center!" he frantically informed the red-head as he put his hands in his hair and started pulling on it. "This is terrible!" he yelled out afterwards.

Now that Misty was informed of this little omittance, she gave Ash a quick and thorough look-over. His Pokemon League hat was indeed absent from his head, along with his jacket, his backpack, and PIKACHU. How can he remember that he forgot his hat, but not those latter three items, which included PIKACHU!

"It's just a hat, Ash. Sjeesh…" Misty informed Ash while giving him a sceptical look-over. "I mean, what about Pi-"

"JUST A HAT!?" Ash interrupted, almost screaming at the top of his lungs while gawking at the red-head in disbelief. "I'll have you know that it's WAY MORE than JUST a hat!" he yelled out. "Do I need to remind you how I got that hat in the first place?" he incredulously asked.

"No-no! That's fine! Really!" Misty quickly declined as she waved her hands in front of her, knowing that story all too well from earlier on in their journey together. "But what about Pikachu?" she quickly added.

Ash's scolding expression quickly vanished and was replaced by one of confusion. "What about him?" he confusedly asked.

"What do you mean 'What about him?'?" Misty incredulously asked as she looked at Ash in disbelief. "You forgot HIM too, you know!" she irritatedly informed the Pokemon Trainer. "How can you be more worried about your HAT, than you are of PIKACHU?" she asked as she stuck her face right in front of his.

Ash looked at Misty with wide eyes for a moment, absorbing the information, before a neutral look settled on his eyes. "But, Pikachu's fine." He stated.

"How do you know that?" Misty asked with a sceptical glare.

"Well, Pikachu's resourceful." Ash casually stated. "And he's a big pokemon by now, he can take care of himself in a situation like this." He explained further. "Plus, he's at the Pokemon Center, with Nurse Joy. He won't do anything reckless. He'll probably just wait there for us to come pick him up." He added, tilting the argument in his favour.

"But-"Misty started protesting, only to slowly close her mouth afterwards, giving the situation some thought. Ash did have a point, a very valid point. Pikachu could take care of himself. And he was at the Pokemon Center, so he was in very safe hands. Maybe she did overact a bit…

She blankly looked at Ash for a few seconds, before she blinked and suddenly leaned forward, softly pecking the tip of his nose. "Hmmm…" she hummed as she put her finger to her chin contemplatingly. "I guess you're right." She finally stated while shrugging her shoulders.

Ash, who was busy rubbing the tip of his nose while Misty was talking, looked back up at her and nodded affirmatively. "So, why don't you go ahead without me while I go get my stuff and Pikachu from the Pokemon Center." He proposed. "That way, you can just explain what happened if I'm gonna be late." He added, before placing a chaste peck on her cheek. "I'll see you there!" he yelled out as he ran away from the red-head, in the opposite direction of where they were initially heading together.

Misty watched Ash running for a few moments as his sprinting form disappeared in the distance, before she let out a dreamy, very un-Misty-like sigh. She then proceeded to turn back around before she started heading towards the hall again. _'Who would have thought that things would change so drastically between me and Ash after a simple old kiss.'_ She mentally remarked while watching the crystal-clear sky above her head. She stretched her arms out over her head, letting out a satisfied groan at the same time, before bringing her arms to a rest behind her head as she contently continued on her way towards the hall.

Her trek was prematurely stopped though, when she was forcefully-bordering on rather violently-yanked to a stop by something latching onto her right forearm from behind.

"What the-?" Misty exclaimed as she quickly glanced over her shoulder to see what had halted her movement. A irritated glare quickly made its way onto the red-head's face as she saw that it was not something that held her back, but rather someone, evidenced by the hand which was currently squeezed around her forearm. The hand belonging to, "Rudy?"

Misty's irritation-fuelled glare was quickly replaced by a look of confusion, as she gazed at Rudy, who was indeed holding onto her arm, halting her movement in the process.

While Misty's face showed annoyance, which was quickly replaced by confusion; Rudy's face showed neither one of those expressions. In fact, the Orange Crew member's face showed glimpses of annoyance, in between clearly-obvious traces of anger.

"Why did you grab me like that, Rudy?" she asked as a minute glare made its way onto her face again, demanding an answer.

"You were gone when I came back last night with dessert." Rudy stated, seemingly ignoring Misty's question and keeping his glare focused on her. "I was really worried. That wasn't nice of you to just up and disappear like that." He added as he tightened his grip slightly around the red-head's arm to show his disdain of her apparent disappearance the previous night.

"Yeah, but I was worried that Ash might've been caught in the storm because he never came back to the Pokemon Center, so I went out looking for him." Misty explained. "Sorry about that." She sarcastically apologised to Rudy. "Now let go!" she ordered as she yanked her arm in an attempt to shrug him off.

The red-head's actions proved futile, however, because Rudy's response was to tighten his grip and yank her closer by her arm.

"What do you think you're doing?" She angrily asked as her glare intensified drastically. "I said let me go!" she demanded, yanking her arm again in an attempt to break out of his grip.

"NO!" Rudy suddenly shouted, momentarily shocking Misty into keeping quiet and stare at him with wide eyes. "Back when you first travelled through the Orange Islands, I asked you to stay behind with me and my sister on Trovita Island. You decided to pass on my offer, and continued travelling with that BOY!" he spat. "I let you go, because I wanted you to be happy, and I could see that you made your choice, which I respected. I fell in love with you the very first time I laid eyes on you." He stated as he turned his attention to the breaking waves of the ocean next them, a faraway look in his eyes.

"But," he suddenly started, the faraway look in eyes instantly replaced with the same traces of anger from earlier, as he snapped his head back to face Misty. "I realise now that allowing you to leave was pretty stupid from me." He stated. "It was an idiotic thing to do, I'll admit that." He added. "I'm going to rectify that, though," He informed the red-head as his eyes narrowed slightly. "By making sure that I'm not letting you go this time!" he proclaimed as he pulled her closer to him, further tightening his grip on her arm. "Whether you like it or not!"

"Let me go!" Misty yelled out through gritted teeth as she tried yanking her arm out of Rudy's grip, resulting in the Orange Crew member tightening his grip even more. "You're hurting me!" she yelled out. "OUW!" she shrieked as she yanked again, which resulted in a sharp pain shooting up her imprisoned arm, and fell down onto her knees.

"I'm not letting go!" Rudy defiantly stated. "You won't get away aga-"

_*SMACK!*_

It was at that exact moment that a fist connected squarely with a yelling-Rudy's jaw. Hard. Very hard. So hard, in fact, that the impact of the punch caused Rudy to immediately release his threshold on Misty's arm out of shock, and he was sent flying through mid-air, eventually crashing into the forgiving soft sea sand a few feet away from where he stood just moments ago.

Misty, who was still down on her knees, slowly started getting back up onto her feet, and proceeded to carefully caress her now-sore right forearm. Looking up; she saw that Rudy was lying on his stomach a few feet away from her, busy lifting himself off of the ground with the support of his elbows. Directing her gaze a bit more to her left, she laid eyes on the owner of the fist that knocked Rudy down, and who she figured was her saviour: Ash!

She also noticed that he had successfully retrieved his jacket, backpack and much-famed hat, all three of which he was wearing again. She also noticed a yellow ball of fur, also known as Ash's Pikachu, standing next to said Trainer on the ground, the red patches on his cheeks sparkling with an overload of furious electricity.

The red-head let out a soft, unnoticeable sigh of relief. Boy was she glad that the two of them had shown up. Sure, she didn't take nonsense from anybody. But, she was still a girl. And Rudy was a boy, which meant that he had a considerable strength advantage over her. That was something she couldn't overcome. Things could have gotten real ugly…

"Hm?" She exclaimed as a groan snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked over to Rudy, who was emitting the groan as he shakily got back up onto his feet. Her eyes suddenly widened dramatically, though, as she stared in shock as Ash gave Rudy a right-hand uppercut right under the chin, sending the boy tumbling right back down onto the ground.

Ash then proceeded to bend down slightly over Rudy, fixing him with a menacing glare, before he grabbed him by his shirt's collar, and lifted him up to face-level. "If you ever, EVER, touch Misty like that again…" he venomously warned. "In fact, if you even so much as look at her the wrong way again…" he spat, cutting himself off before he pushed Rudy back down onto the ground again.

Feeling that he got the warning through into Rudy's head, Ash abruptly turned his back on the Orange Crew member, before he started walking back to where Misty was standing, Pikachu in tow.

Misty was gawking, still in shock of what had just happened. She had never seen Ash so angry, ever. She had never seen him use his fists as unremorseful as he did just now. There was no guilt or sorrow present. Just raw anger. Was he angry at her too? Or was he angry because of what had happened to her just now? Giving one small step backwards in slight fear, Misty softly squeaked out, "Ash?" as she subconsciously held her bruised arm.

Ash, on the other hand, merely kept walking towards the red-head, seemingly ignoring her when she called out to him. He walked right up to her, and, much to Misty's relief, his expression softened immediately after he stopped and his eyes settled on her, while Pikachu quietly stood next to his Master.

"Are you okay, Misty?" Ash asked, concern evident on his face, as he started giving Misty an once-over. "You're not hurt, are…you…?" he trailed off as his eyes stopped at the bruised arm she was holding.

And, as fast as the Pokemon Trainer's anger subsided moments earlier, it reappeared so quickly this time, that the previous subsiding seemed like a marathon in comparison. He glanced over his shoulder at the still-recovering Rudy, before he let out a Pokemon-like growl, and spun around on his heels, intent on giving Rudy a couple of more punches for hurting Misty.

Unfortunately for Ash, though, Misty had caught on to what he was planning, and had intercepted his path to Rudy by firmly latching onto the Pokemon Trainer's right arm, thus preventing him from moving any further.

"Come on, Ash." Misty said as she started pulling on Ash's arm. "You don't have to do that. I'm A-okay!" she quickly reassured him. "Besides, that jerk isn't even close to being worth getting into trouble over." She added, which seemed to come through to Ash, as he slowly started following her, Pikachu walking next to them on the ground. "Let's get to that hall. I bet we're almost late!" she joked while slowly entwining her fingers with Ash's, the three of them finally en route to the meeting hall once more.

The rest of their walk to the hall was completely silent, with none of them uttering a sound. The reason for this was that Misty thought that Ash was being so quiet because he was busy cooling down, and thus thought that it would be better to leave him be until he got his temper in check. Stealing a glance at said Pokemon Trainer over her shoulder, she saw that he still had a sour expression on his face, albeit much calmer than a couple of minutes ago, when he wanted to beat the life out of Rudy. That was good, he was at least starting to calm down, so she would have to leave him be a little longer. Still, that didn't stop her from firmly holding on to Ash's hand though, as she never once let it go on their walk to the hall, while Pikachu also knew that his Master needed some time to cool off, so he opted to silently continue his walk next to his Master on the ground.

The meeting hall soon appeared in the distance out in front of them. As soon as they got right in front of the building, Misty suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, which in turn caused Ash and Pikachu to stop as well.

The red-head then proceeded to turn around, and finally faced Ash. She had decided that Ash had more than enough alone time to cool off during their walk to the meeting hall, and now it was time to check if he was okay.

She cleared her throat off to the side, before facing Ash again and asking, "Are you alright, Ash?"

She gave his hand a soft squeeze, which caused the Pokemon Trainer to wince slightly. Misty frowned at this, and gave his hand another squeeze. This earned the red-head another wince from Ash, which she decided to follow up and looked down at his hand.

A gasp of shock escaped Misty's mouth as she laid eyes on Ash's hand. The said hand's fingers were all horribly swollen up inside the glove, while the glove was in no better shape, as it was shredded and revealed Ash's bloodied up knuckles.

"Ash!" Misty suddenly yelled out as she grabbed Ash's hand in both of hers. "Look at your hand! We've got to clean it up! It might get infected!" she yelled, before ripping Ash's torn glove off of his hand, earning a loud yelp of pain from the Pokemon Trainer.

She threw the now-bloodied glove down onto the ground, before she got down on her knees and put her string-bag down in front of her. She rummaged through it for the next few moments, before pulling out a small white box, which had an insignia of a red cross on top of it, also known as a first aid kit. She then proceeded to open the box, and remove some of its contents: Wadding, a bottle of disinfectant, and a roll of bandage.

"Now, hold still." she ordered as she firmly grasped his injured hand, bringing it closer to her. "This is gonna sting a bit." She warned as she dabbed some of the wadding with the liquid from the bottle of disinfectant, before carefully dabbing the wounds on his knuckles with the wadding.

If the disinfectant cleaning his wounds was at all painful, Ash did a pretty good job at not showing it. In fact, he didn't even move when the wadding connected with his open wounds. He simply stared out in front of him as the red-head cleaned his hand.

It was only after Misty had started wrapping his hand with bandages, that Ash said something, in the form of a sudden "I'm sorry, Misty."

Misty immediately stopped with what she was doing and looked up at Ash, a confused expression plastered on her face.

Feeling her eyes on him, asking for an elaboration, Ash turned his head sideways to look out over the ocean.

For a few moments, the only sound that could be heard was the waves crashing on the beach, before Ash let out a long sigh. "When I heard you yell out that he was hurting you, when I saw him holding you by your arm, against your will;" he started, still looking out over the vast ocean beside them, while Misty had slowly resumed bandaging his hand, but was still listening intently.

"I…I just lost it…" he confessed as he curled his free hand into a fist. "I got so angry, I couldn't control myself." He added. "I would have killed that guy!" he growled through clenched teeth, his arms now shaking with anger.

Misty, who had finished wrapping Ash's injured hand in the meantime, slowly got off of her knees and back up onto her feet, before softly grabbing hold of his shaking fist. She then slowly started tracing over the top of his hand with her fingertips, almost instantly calming the Pokemon Trainer down, before looking right into his eyes.

"Ash." She gently said as she gave his hand a soft squeeze. "If you didn't show up when you did, I don't know what would have happened." She admitted, her eyes falling downcast for a moment. "I think…I would have gotten hurt…" she stated.

"But," she quickly started as she looked up into his eyes again. "That didn't happen. I didn't get hurt-"she stopped as she followed Ash's eyes to her slightly-bruised arm. "Well, I didn't get hurt BADLY." She corrected herself with a slight chuckle. "The reason for that is because YOU showed up." She informed him.

"So, I wanted to thank you." She said as she slowly let go of his hand, and gently wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you, for saving me." She elaborated while slowly laying her head down on his shoulder.

For a moment no one moved, before Ash slowly wrapped his arms around Misty, and pulled her closer to him.

Pikachu decided that he gave his Master and Misty enough time to talk, and proceeded to jump onto Ash's other shoulder."Pikachu!" the yellow mouse exclaimed as he nuzzled up to the side of his Master's head.

Misty softly chuckled at Pikachu's antics from the other side of Ash's head. "And next time he tries something like that, all three of us will get a hit in, right, Pikachu?" she exclaimed as she brought her hand up and scratched the yellow mouse's back.

Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder and landed on the ground next to the two humans. "Pika, Pikachu!" the yellow mouse excitedly cried out with a flexing of his little arms, signalling his agreement.

Ash also let out a small chuckle at Pikachu's actions, as he slowly let go of Misty, who did likewise. "Thank you, Misty." He said after a while, a smile slowly starting to make its way onto his face as he looked into the red-head's eyes.

Misty's smile grew even wider at seeing Ash finally starting to act like himself again. She inched as close as possible to the Pokemon Trainer, before gently resting her hands against his chest, and softly pressing her lips up against his.

It was a sweet, innocent kiss, seeing as neither of them really knew about the intimacies of kissing. Neither of them moved, except for Ash puckering his lips slightly to accept the kiss. They just stayed like that, lips pressed up against one another's, for what seemed like quite a while. Pikachu had respectfully turned his back on the intimate human moment, and opted to gaze out over the sea instead.

The most perfect moment…was abruptly ruined when the three of them heard the distinctive sound of a door handle clicking open nearby, more specifically the door to the meeting hall, since it was the only building for miles.

The opening of the door caused Ash and Misty to hastily stop kissing before they practically jumped away from each other and turned to face the now-fully-open door.

In the open doorway stood Cissy, the first Gym Leader of the Orange Crew, still wearing a black shoulder strap vest, a pink skirt that extended well down below her knees, and white, laceless shoes.

"Oh, Ash, Misty, there you are." Cissy stated as she gave them a once-over. "I thought I heard something out here, so I came out to investigate. Uh, is everything okay? You sure were talking a long time…" she asked as she raised an eyebrow in their direction.

"Yeah! Everything's fine!" Ash and Misty simultaneously answered in record speed, before snapping their heads toward each other and back, and then proceeded to nervously giggle while scratching the back of their respective heads, a red hue visible across both of their faces.

Cissy gazed at the two of them a little longer, before shrugging her shoulders. "Well, okay. Anyway, you guys should hurry up, everyone's waiting for you." She informed them as she turned around and walked back into the building, leaving the door open behind her.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu watched the Orange Crew member disappear into the building, before the two humans let out a sigh of relief. The three of them then proceeded to pack the red-head's first aid up again, before she put it back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Ash gently put his glove on over his bandaged hand as Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder, before the three of them made their way into the meeting hall.

The inside of the building was four-sided, the walls covered with bamboo from top to bottom. The roof was painted a simple cream colour, and decorated with a single hanging light. The floor was mainly empty, save for a table full of refreshments in the far-left corner of the room, and of course, a large round table and eight matching chairs, of which four were currently occupied by various people.

Seated in a clockwise order from the far-end of the table, was Drake at the far-end (And presumably the head seat of the table too.), Luana in the next seat, followed by Danny, and finally Cissy. All of them were members of the Orange Crew, with Drake being the Head of the Crew and the final challenge to Trainers who wish to face the Orange League Champion. Strangely absent from the table though, was Rudy…

"Ah, Ash, Misty and Pikachu." Drake exclaimed as he stood up. "We're glad that you made it in time. Please, have a seat." He said while gesturing to the empty seats around the table.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu gladly obliged as the two humans removed their respective bags and each of the three sat down on a chair, with Ash sitting next to Cissy, Misty next to Ash, and finally Pikachu sat next to Misty.

"Hey, everybody!" Ash and Misty simultaneously greeted after taking their respective seats.

"Pika!" Pikachu followed his two human travelling companions' lead with a wave of his paw.

"Right, first of all, I would to apologise on behalf of Rudy for being in attendance for this meeting." Drake exclaimed. "I have no idea where he could be, seeing as all of us received a message saying that it is essential that we be here today. I will find out what the situation is and it will be rectified." He stated, irritation evident on his face.

"Hehe, it's no problem at all!" Misty quickly responded with a nervous chuckle and a scratch of the back of her head, trying to change the subject as quickly as humanly possible before Ash said something that he would regret afterwards.

"Now that is out of the way," Drake started as he sat down again. "Let's get down to business." He stated. "First of all, you've probably figured that it will be a full Pokemon battle." Drake notified the Pokemon Trainer. "This means that it will be a six-on-six battle, with both Trainers allowed to substitute Pokemon at any given time." He elaborated, to which Ash nodded in understanding.

"There will also be a five minute break after three of any Trainer's Pokemon are knocked out, as well as a random field change. But, you know all of this by now, seeing as you were previously involved in one such match, right Ash?" he further clarified.

"Yeah, I got it." Ash replied accompanied by a nod of his head.

"And finally: The date and location." Drake announced. "The battle will be held in The Pummelo Stadium on Pummelo Island, in four weeks time from today." He informed Ash, Misty and Pikachu accompanied by a show of four of his fingers to signify that the battle will occur in one month's time. "So you will have more than enough time to pick your six Pokemon for the battle, as well as training them." He added.

"So, do you have any queries or questions?" he asked, to which Ash replied with quick, 'No, I know everything I need to, thanks.'. "Alright, then I guess we're done here." Drake concluded as he got up onto his feet. "Please feel free to join us for a light snack." He said, gesturing to the table stacked with refreshments in the corner to his right.

"Thanks, that'll be great!" Ash answered as he, Misty, Pikachu and the rest of the seated Orange Crew members stood up, before they all started making their way towards the said table.

Most of the small lunch consisted of small conversations between the various Gym Leaders and the travelling Trainers. The Orange Crew members rarely had the opportunity to converse with each other, seeing as each one had their respective Gyms to operate and look after. This was one of the very few chances they had to catch up with each other, while also hearing about Ash's journey through the Johto region.

The gathering eventually came to an end, and the three respective Gym Leaders bid Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Drake farewell, as they had a boat to catch back to their respective Islands, while Drake opted to accompany the travelling trio back to the Pokemon Center. He didn't have to catch a boat back to Pummelo Island, because well, he had a Dragonite.

They eventually arrived at the Pokemon Center, where they were currently saying their goodbyes to Drake.

"Well, Ash, I guess I'll see you in four weeks then." Drake said as he stood in front of the travelling trio.

"You can count on it!" Ash energetically replied with a pumping of his fist, a confident smirk on his face.

"That's the spirit." Drake laughed. "And you're gonna need that spirit, Ash." He exclaimed. "You had better train as hard as you can too. Because your challenger, well, let's just say that tough doesn't quite describe him." He informed the three of them. "He has excellent battle instincts, and he has the Pokemon to back that up tenfold." He explained.

"Well," Ash started. "I've got some pretty tough Pokemon too," he said as he glanced down at Pikachu, who was standing next to him on the ground. "And you can be sure that we're gonna be training as hard as we can in the next four weeks!" he determinedly exclaimed.

"You'd better!" Drake exclaimed with a laugh. "I wouldn't expect any less than an extraordinary match from you!" he added, to which the four of them shared a laugh. "Well, goodbye then." He bid farewell while pulling off the pokeball that was clipped to the necklace around his neck, before expanding it and finally threw it into the air.

The pokeball opened in mid-air and out of it formed Drake's ultimate pokemon: His Dragonite. The majestic dragon let out a roar as it landed next to its Master.

Drake jumped on Dragonite's back, before it lifted itself off the ground. "Good luck, you guys!" he yelled out as he gave a small wave, before Dragonite shot up into the air.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu waved until Drake and Dragonite disappeared in the horizon, after which they walked into the Pokemon Center…

**[A little while later…]**

'_So our training starts tomorrow…'_ Ash thought as he turned his head to look at Pikachu, who was sleeping soundly next to his head on the pillow.

The three of them had rented a room at the Pokemon Center for the night, and had decided to head out the next day to start Ash's preparation for the battle. He and Pikachu had already taken a shower, and Misty was still busy with her own, so the two of them were lying on Ash's bed. While Pikachu had decided to hit the sack, Ash opted for lying on his back with his arms behind his head, and staring up at the ceiling above him.

He smiled to himself as he watched the yellow mouse sleep for a while, before returning his attention back to the ceiling, thinking about his team and strategies for his upcoming battle.

"Ash…" he heard someone whisper his name.

"Hm?" Ash exclaimed as he turned his head to his right, and laid eyes on Misty.

The red-head was standing in front of his bed, her hair down and a towel folded under her arm. He presumed that she had just finished her shower, evidenced by her slightly wet-looking hair.

"Misty?" he exclaimed as he gently sat up on his bed, conscious of the sleeping Pikachu next to him, holding himself up with his arms.

"Sorry, I was just checking if you're awake, because I wanted to say night…" she informed Ash. "I-if that's okay with you, of course…" she quickly added in a hushed tone.

"Well, sure." Ash said with a small smile, not really understanding why Misty sounded so nervous about something as trivial as that.

He soon found out why though, as Misty slowly sat down next to him on the edge of the bed. She then proceeded to gently wrap her arms around him, before softly planting her lips against his.

Ash kissed her back as best he could, but, as he tried folding his arms around the red-head; he forgot one crucial factor: His arms were keeping him up. So, consequently, he fell back down onto his back, with Misty, who still had her arms wrapped around him, fell down onto him.

The fall caused them to separate their lips from one another's, and, as they looked at each other with wide eyes, they started snickering together.

"Well, that wasn't what I had in mind…" Misty whispered as she made herself more comfortable by laying her head down on Ash's chest.

Her comment earned her a soft snicker from Ash, who slowly wrapped his arms around her.

They lied like that for quite a while, with neither one making a sound. Misty was content with listening to Ash's breathing and the rhythm that his heart was beating in.

"Alright…" Misty whispered as she slowly started getting up, having decided that they had to get some sleep.

"No…" a half-asleep Ash mumbled out as he pulled Misty, his current source of warmth, down against him once more. "Just stay here…You're nice and warm…" he sleepily continued, nuzzling his head into her hair.

"Ash, I don't think-"the red-head started protesting, but was cut off when Ash pulled her just a bit closer.

"Please…" Ash mumbled out again, looking at her with barely-open eyes.

Misty stared at him for a moment, before sighing in defeat. "Fine…" she mumbled. "But, no funny stuff!" she whispered as her head shot back up to glare at the boy.

"Yeah yeah…" Ash exclaimed while letting out a big yawn.

"Hmph." Misty exclaimed as she laid her head back down again, satisfied with his response, before contently sighing through her nose as her eyes drooped shut.

"Night, Ash…"

"G'night, Misty…"

**Please remember to review! Please!**

**I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible, it's still probably only about half-way.**

**Anyway, merry belated Christmas, and also enjoy the New Year! I'll probably see you guys again in 2015.**

**Take care.**


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